NSR: Greatest Movies of ALL TIME!

[KRUSTYburger]

Ok, here's the deal. I know I've seen a lot of great movies that most *regular* people have never heard of... I also haven't seen a lot of movies that people say are one of the greatest movies of all time.

Everybody who watches movies has a "short list" that no collection can be complete without. A sort of standard backbone which you use to measure all other movies... the best of the best. SO, seeing how I've noticed some people to have good taste in movies from the various quotes and mentions, I wanna know what everyone's MUST SEE fave movies are. Mostly because I'm bored and it's been rainy and I want to watch some really good ones.

Please include the genre next to the title for those of us who don't know.

Thanks for any input!!!

(this should go without saying: don't slam anyone else for liking movies you think are dumb)

[ScootingInTheRain]

Here are two -

The Dark Backward http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101660/, Dark Comedy.

Bubba Ho-Tep http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0281686/, Dark Comedy/Horror (a litttle).

Love these two.

Also this, but it is not a movie: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Britain-Co ... 323&sr=8-1

~SITR

[Othergods]

I will give you some Asian films I really like.

A revenge thriller
Oldboy http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/

and 2 love stories
Last life in the universe http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0345549/
&
3-Iron http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0423866/

and finally a comedy
Save the green planet http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0354668/

[pugbuddy]

As far as "great" movies that are a measuring stick of all others, IMHO you have to include Casablanca. For a list of simply great movies, there are so darn many! Here's a few IMHO:

The Usual Suspects
The Magnificent Seven
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Unforgiven
The Princess Bride
Raising Arizona
Miller's Crossing
Office Space
The Lady in the Water
Goldfinger
The Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum
Kelley's Heroes
A Bridge Too Far
Strictly Ballroom
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Dirty Harry
Tombstone

Kind of off-the-charts, but awesome IMHO: Ravenous

Guilty Pleasures: Bring It On, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Lilo & Stitch, Muppet Treasure Island, Milo & Otis

[UrbanBuddy82]

I have that "short" list.
It includes:
The Princess Bride
Tombstone
Braveheart
ALL 3 of the Indiana Jones movies
The Shawshank Redemption
The Green Mile
Roadhouse
Top Gun

To get ya started...

[Christy]

my all time top 5:
The Salton Sea
Memento
True Romance
Grosse Point Blank
The Usual Suspects

more that I also love:
Suicide Kings
The Shawshank Redemption
High Fidelity
Say Anything

[nissanman]

Here's some from the list most people haven't said...
Kentucky Fried Movie (stupid comedy, early Zucker Bros)
Blues Brothers (musical comedy)
Smokey and the Bandit (action comedy)
Airplane (more stupid Zucker bros stuff)
Better off dead (romantic comedy)

I do like comedy films, and other people already mentioned some of my other list movies. Shawshank, Top Gun, Usual Suspects, True Romance... no need to repeat their list

[krysbrezinski]

The Breakfast Club
Brick (nior/detective thriller)--and any movie with Joseph Gordon Levitt, actually. He tends to pick excellent roles.
A Clockwork Orange
Downfall (a German film about the last days of Hitler)
Frailty (independent thriller with amazing performances by its two child actors)
Good Will Hunting
High Fidelity (sort of a romantic comedy; a must-see for any music obsessive)--and again, I'd have to recommend almost any John Cusack film.
The Lookout (action-y, robbery-centric)--another Joseph Gordon Levitt film.
Memento (suspense)
Mysterious Skin (drama)--Joseph Gordon Levitt again.
Rain Man (drama)
Rushmore (quirky coming-of-age comedy)--I will never tire of seeing this.
Salvador Puig Antich (Spanish historical drama)

And I noticed someone mentioned Office Space--that's a great one, too.

[Christy]

oooooh, i forgot one:
The Royal Tennenbaums!!!

[krysbrezinski]

oooooh, i forgot one:
The Royal Tennenbaums!!!

Oh definitely. Anything directed by Wes Anderson, really, with the exception of The Darjeeling Limited (which, while diverting, did nothing Rushmore didn't do better).

[schlagle]

2 classics that influenced more American movies than you can shake a stick at:
Yojimbo
7 Samurai

Good fun:
AIrplane
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Caddysheck
The Blues Brothers

Great foreign flicks:
Twilight Samurai
Oldboy (nod to Othergods)
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Lady Vengeance

I could go on and on.

[scullyfu]

blood simple: a chilling murder mystery with twists with nearly every frame; the coen bros. first film & of course, the ever terrific frances mcdormand (mrs. joel coen)

harold & maude: funny, bittersweet love story between a rich, lonely teenaged boy and an 80-year-old woman who lives for love and fun; soundtrack by cat stevens.

dr. strangelove: stanley kubrick's marvelous take-on on the cold war; peter sellers plays 3 parts!

alien 1 & 2: just 'kick the seat' in front of scary; and, of course, the kick-ass ms. weaver.

terminator 1 & 2: as good as 1 is, i'd see it any time just to watch linda hamilton doing those damned pull-ups.

rosemary's baby: who doesn't love a good film about a woman having the devil's spawn? <wink>

most anything in the film noir genre.

i could go on and on cuz i'm old and have seen a lot of the old '40's and '50's movies.

[ericalm]

I'm a big fan of animation, and my top movies ever include:
Iron Giant
The Incredibles
Akira
Grave of the Fireflies
Dumbo
...i recently saw Tekkonkinreet, which

In the live action arena:
Rushmore (again)
Ghostbusters (yeah, so?)
Miller's Crossing (the most underrated of the Coen Bros.)
Double Indemnity
The Third Man
Blade Runner
Repo Man
Straight to Hell
Pulp Fiction
Cinema Paradiso
The Killer
Drunken Master 2
The Jerk
Amelie

uh... a bunch more I can't think of right now...
It's like when I walk into a video or record store and my mind just goes blank...

[lojical1]

Transformers.

After that, nothing needs to be added to the list

[pugbuddy]

Oooh, some good stuff on these lists!

Downfall (a German film about the last days of Hitler)

I agree--stunning movie. Funny story: Talked a friend into seeing it and she brought her daughter and the daughter's boyfriend (high schoolers). Turns out the boyfriend can't read worth a darn and spent the entire movie desperately trying to get through the subtitles! Made me laugh, anyway....

Gross Pointe Blank

Ooh yeah! Great pick!

A few more:

Pan's Labyrinth
The Orphanage
Schindler's List
Gone with the Wind
Wizard of Oz
North by Northwest
To Kill a Mockingbird
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (the greatest buddy movie ever!)
Silence of the Lambs
Little Shop of Horrors--the 1986 version with Rick Moranes and Steve Martin

Off the chart #2: The Black Robe--a must see for anyone who raves about how noble and wondrous the Native Americans were in Dances with Wolves. And just an incredible movie.

Guilty Pleasure: It--Terror from Beyond Space!--the movie that inspired Alien.

Considering Bladerunner, I recommend the Director's cut without the horrible voiceover.

There's more...just cannot think of them right now....

[ericalm]

I knew I forgot something!

BRAZIL!
Also:
Goodfellas
Manhattan
Seven Samurai (again)
Sixteen Candles

Considering Bladerunner, I recommend the Director's cut without the horrible voiceover.

I must be the only fan in the world who doesn't mind the voiceover, which I think is consistent with the genre. But the director's cut is better for other reasons, anyways...

[Christy]

Cinema Paradiso

OMG! how could I have forgotten this one!!!!! I cried like a stinking baby at this movie. incredible. The ending is seriously amazingly incredibly touching.

Now I want to watch it again.


EDIT: OH oh oh!!! I forgot another tear-jerker!

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I started crying at around the 15minute mark and never stopped thru the entire movie. it was so good...just draws you in...makes you care...so great.

[cruzzer]

my fav are
last train to gun hill
hangem high
the day the earth stood still
to kill a mocking bird
and one of the movies that really hit me hard was a kite runner
i got more but i see everyone else likes them also

[sargelee71]

Wow, this could be dangerous for me...I'll control myself. I do like lots of different genres, but tend towards to older:

--All About Eve (Bette Davis)
--The Philadelphia Story (Cary Grant, Kate Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart)
--A Star is Born (Judy Garland, James Mason)
--Hardboil (Hong Kong action, Chow Yun Fat)
--Now Voyager (again, Bette Davis)
--History Boys (Great movie about teacher/student relationship & what teaching is, with awesome soundtrack of musice from '86)
--The Double Life of Veronique (K. Kieslowski French film)
--The Silence of the Lambs
--Rosemary's Baby
--Holiday (Cary Grant & Kate Hepburn)
--A Room With a View
--My Beautiful Laundrette
--A Better Tomorrow (Chow Yun Fat)
--The Killer (Chow Yun Fat)
--God of Gamblers (Chow Yun Fat---amazing)
--Godfather I & II
--Star Wars (all three)
--Grease (OLIVIA)
--The Great Escape
--Cabaret
--Grey Garden

...must stop or I won't stop...

[nuttmeg75]

Here goes (in no particular order)...

Blue Velvet
Dogtown & Z-Boys
Evil Dead 2
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas
Henry Fool
Mystery Train
Nashville
Repo Man
The Big Sleep
The Hudsucker Proxy (another underrated Coen Brother film)
A Touch of Evil
Laura
His Girl Friday
City of Lost Children

[sargelee71]

I've already thought of about 20 more, like:

--Mystic Pizza
--Anne of Green Gables
--The Sound of Music
--Rock-N-Roll High School
--Hard Day's Night

But glad to see:

--To Kill A Mockingbird (name my cat Scout)
--North By Northwest (or just about any Hitchcock)


Must stop!

[Syd]

From Dusk till Dawn (Even better if you've never heard anything about it beforehand - and send me a picture of your face, please)

Being John Malkovich (I could tell you everything, and it would still be just odd)

Hellboy II (I hope it ends up on my list, anyway)

[KRUSTYburger]

I just spent the last half hour writing this and it got erased!!! I'm tryin it AGAIN! Man, this sucks... I was almost done.

Thanks everyone for sharing, this should keep me busy for some time (like the rest of my natural-born life!). Anyways, feel free to repeat ones that others have already said, that way I know which to watch first! Here's some of my faves (I went back and underlined the especially good ones, which ended up being almost all of them ).

*Samurai/Asian/Anime-types:

Seven Samurai (all Kurosawa's films are gold, but also have A LOT of similarities... if you're gonna watch just one, that's the one)
Hero (very beautiful -- the story, the colors, the choreography)
The Last Samurai (Tom Cruise is a SAMURAI?! That's what I thought till I watched it. Third most I've cried in a movie)
Memoirs of a Geisha (again, Ken Watanabe is amazing)
Metropolis (the anime by Osamu Tozuka, not the 1927 Fritz Lang film -- which I might also like to see)
My Neighbor Totoro/Spirited Away (I like most Studio Ghibli films, they're always colorful & odd)
Howl's Moving Castle (similar to Ghibli stuff, but by dif people)


*Drama-types:

Dancer in the Dark (I have never cried so much in a single movie in my life! Also, I like Bjork -- at least some of her older stuff)
Moulin Rouge (Second most crying in a movie -- it's also a musical)
Across the Universe (another musical. hmm, notice any themes? kinda artsyfartsy -- must like 60's music or you'll hate it)
Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (cool sci-fi love story)
Pan's Labyrinth (...you guessed it! sci-fi. Or would you call it fairy tale? same-dif)
Edward Scissorhands (I think everyone's seen that)
Amelie (yeah, I guess you'd call it a Drama? very good.)


*Comedy-types:

Dumb & Dumber
Office Space
Zoolander
Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz
Tommy Boy
Billy Madison
i (heart) huckabees
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
Clue
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Bottle Rocket/Rushmore/Royal Tenenbaums/Life Aquatic
The Big Lebowski
American Movie
Austin Powers
So, I Married an Axe Murderer


*Action/Thriller-Types:

Batman/Batman Returns (self-explanitory)
Fight Club (to summarize it correctly would give away the ending)
American Psycho (well written film about an everyday homicidal maniac)
Kill Bill vol.1&2 (one word: awesome)


I know there's a ton more I'm leaving out. Oh well, it was already getting pretty lengthy. I'll be sure to add others as I remember them, just in case anyone else is planning on increasing their movie viewing like me...

[gymnation]

There is of course only one great American film that overshadows every other made before or since:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_GCRFRcWxA

[Dooglas]

Anything by the Coen Brothers.

But here is a great one that I didn't see on any of your lists.

The Cuckoo (Kukushka) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308476/
war/drama/black comedy/whatever - simply outstanding!

[illnoise]

There is of course only one great American film that overshadows every other made before or since:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_GCRFRcWxA

Didn't see that coming! It's in my top 5, too:

Better Off Dead (#1 for sure)
The Big Lebowski
Bedazzled (The original w/ Dudley Moore/Peter Cook)
The Party (Great Peter Sellers movie, forgotten because it's not PC)
Slap Shot

I could watch any of those over and over and never get sick of them.

A great scooter movie (mostly 90s Hondas) that no one knows about: Kamikaze Girls.

[ericalm]

Metropolis (the anime by Osamu Tozuka, not the 1927 Fritz Lang film -- which I might also like to see)
My Neighbor Totoro/Spirited Away (I like most Studio Ghibli films, they're always colorful & odd)
Howl's Moving Castle (similar to Ghibli stuff, but by dif people)

I'm obviously also a Tezuka fan. (In addition to my avatar, I have an Astroboy tattoo—which is 20 years old and actually kind of crummy and needs some touch up—and lots of toys, figures, etc.)

Definitely seek out the Fritz Lang Metropolis, which is sort of lays the groundwork for a lot of 20th century sci-fi and even anime. Avoid the version with the crappy 80s soundtrack. Also, if you like noir Fritz Lang's M is another must see.

Also, I mentioned Grave of the Fireflies—it's one of the least remembered Ghibli movies and the most realistic. It's a real tear-jerker. Beautiful work that really opened my eyes to the potential of animation to do serious drama. Yeah, it's kind of a downer, but also fun at times and very much worth seeing.

[fiver1971]

My Top 5

1) Rocky (only the first one)
2) Jaws (I never, ever, ever get tired of watching this show)
3) The Graduate ("uh...are you trying to seduce me Mrs. Robinson?)
4) Rushmore (Wes Anderson's best film to date....followed closely by Bottlerocket)
5) Rear Window (Hitchcock at his finest)

Other guilty pleasures: Xanadu, Greese, TRON, Shaun Of The Dead, The Blues Brothers, Breaking Away, and Phantasm.

[bushbaby]

I'm only piping in because no one's mentioned the other great Anderson: P.T.
Mostly drama with moments of comedy, clarity, and oddness.

Hard Eight
Boogie Nights
Magnolia (fave)
Punch Drunk Love (fave)
There Will Be Blood

You mentioned your affinity for cinematic musicals, so I'm sure you've seen the amazing, brilliant, and startling:


Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Writer/Director/Actor (Hedwig!) John Cameron Mitchell's second film:

Shortbus

didn't quite have the juice of his debut, but still had some lovely moments, a fantastic soundtrack, and deals with sex in a rather revolutionary way.

I'm also a big fan of great documentary:

American Movie has been mentioned, but try some of these other recent gems:

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
How to Draw a Bunny
Stone Reader
Grizzly Man
My Architect
The Devil and Daniel Johnston

and I love just about any nature documentary: David Attenborough rocks.

okay.

Oh, jeez, and:

Juno

And I may be the only person in the world who LOVED:

Speed Racer.

outie

[DennisD]

Fargo
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
Killer Clowns from Outer Space
Midway
Patton
No Country for Old Men
Once Upon a Time in America
Spartacus
Mutiny on the Bounty (The original with Errol Flynn)
Gone With The Wind
Kingdom of the Spiders
Blazing Saddles
Trees Lounge (Steve Buschemi)

Dennis

[7eregrine]

Best movie EVER!!!!

http://tinyurl.com/6g9z8j

(OK, only because my Nephew stars in it. hehehe)

My real favorite is True Romance.
[/url]

[bunny]

anything Monty Python - I'm suspicious of those who don't get Monty Python
Howl's Moving Castle - anime
The Princess Bride - comedy
Hackers - dramedy
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) - Alan Rickman voicing Marvin!
Contact - drama
Godfather trilogy
Bowling for Columbine - documentary
Supersize Me - documentary
Fandango - dramedy
Reservoir Dogs - bc Quinten Tarantino is a god.
Rabbit Proof Fence - documentary
Bagdad Cafe - dramedy
The Last Supper - dark comedy - graduate student version
Maria Full of Grace - foreign drama
Requiem for a Dream - drama
The Last Emperor - drama
Farewell My Concubine - foreign drama
Romeo + Juliet (Baz Lurhmann) - gorgeous use of Shakespeare
The Lover - foreign drama

[krysbrezinski]

My Top 5

1) Rocky (only the first one).

Oh, I love Rocky. The recent sequel/companion film was actually pretty good, too, although II - V are all horrible.

[Keys]

Ray
Braveheart
Rob Roy

...can you tell I'm of Scottish ancestry?

--Keys

[scullyfu]

Ray
Braveheart
Rob Roy

...can you tell I'm of Scottish ancestry?

--Keys

hmmm. i din a kin ray charles was scottish.

[madtolive]

Dirty Dancing. hands down.

[Keys]

hmmm. i din a kin ray charles was scottish.

Honorary, sister, honorary...

--Keys

[johnny_buddha]

Foreign flicks...
As mentioned before, Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance are great, but not for everybody. Bloody, gory revenge movies.

Battle Royale - Japanese. Kids in Japan aren't behaving so the government kidnaps a class of high-schoolers, put them on the island and force them to kill each other in order to survive. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266308/
Joint Security Area - Korean, sorta like A Few Good Men. Same director as Oldboy. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260991/
City of God - boys growing up in drug infested ghetto Rio de Janeiro. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317248/
Lives of Others - German movie about East Germany's surveillance on suspected conspirators during the Cold War. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/
A Very Long Engagement - If you liked Amelie. Same main actress. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0344510/

[Othergods]

2 classics that influenced more American movies than you can shake a stick at:
Yojimbo
7 Samurai

Good fun:
AIrplane
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Caddysheck
The Blues Brothers

Great foreign flicks:
Twilight Samurai
Oldboy (nod to Othergods)
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Lady Vengeance

I could go on and on.

I got a feeling out dvd collections look a lot alike hehe

Another goodie Ichi the Killer

[Othergods]

Nice JSA referrence Johnny_buddha

I gotta agree with Ericalm on Fritz Langs Metropolis, Love the Brazil pic. Will add a couple more I really like this thread hehe

Kafka
1984
City of Lost Children
The Elephant Man (David Lynch)
and pretty much anything else by David Lynch.

[voodoosix]

Run Lola Run
Snatch
Trainspotting
The Empire Strikes Back
Clerks
Usual Suspects
Pulp Fiction
Billy Jack
12 Monkeys
Aliens
The Crow
Shaun of the Dead

[Apiarist]

Early popular movie era:
Mr. Lucky
Deskset
The Man who Shot Liberty Valance
The Man Who Knew Too Much
North by Northwest
To Catch a Thief
Boeing Boeing Boeing
Nutty Professor (the one with Jerry Lewis)
most Marx Bros.

70's - 80's comedy, mostly:
Dr. Frankenstein
High Anxiety
Bananas
Oh God!
Time Bandits

[jrsjr]

Wings of Desire
Amarcord
Adaptation
Juno
Shane
Rocky Horror (full of larfs plus I saw it with Meat Loaf and friends in ATL 1000 years ago)
Quadrophenia
Plus hundreds of others...

[gymnation]

anything Monty Python - I'm suspicious of those who don't get Monty Python
Howl's Moving Castle - anime
The Princess Bride - comedy
Hackers - dramedy
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) - Alan Rickman voicing Marvin!
Contact - drama
Godfather trilogy
Bowling for Columbine - documentary
Supersize Me - documentary
Fandango - dramedy
Reservoir Dogs - bc Quinten Tarantino is a god.
Rabbit Proof Fence - documentary
Bagdad Cafe - dramedy
The Last Supper - dark comedy - graduate student version
Maria Full of Grace - foreign drama
Requiem for a Dream - drama
The Last Emperor - drama
Farewell My Concubine - foreign drama
Romeo + Juliet (Baz Lurhmann) - gorgeous use of Shakespeare
The Lover - foreign drama

Yes, the great auteur Q is indeed a deity of film....though a lesser god to Joel and Ethan...

[ericalm]

Wings of Desire

Oof, another one of mine I left off the list.

I also love Until the End of the World, despite its many many flaws. I watched the full 6-hour version that was cut down to make the theatrical film and it's not really an improvement.

And also...

Stranger than Paradise
Mystery Train
Ghost Dog
Lost Highway
Do the Right Thing
The Last Waltz

See? Just because Ghostbusters and the Incredibles are in my top 10 or so doesn't mean I'm shallow.

[jrsjr]

Wings of Desire

Oof, another one of mine I left off the list.

I also love Until the End of the World, despite its many many flaws. I watched the full 6-hour version that was cut down to make the theatrical film and it's not really an improvement.

Life's good, but not fair at all...

[gymnation]

Casablanca
Harlan County USA
Easy Rider
The Godfather (I & II)
Cool Hand Luke
O Brother Where Art Thou
Blade Runner
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Any of the Thin Man films
Jaws
Duck Soup
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad Mad World
Bad Day at Black Rock
Brother John
The General (Buster Keaton)
The Birds
An American in Paris
Network
The Sting
Pulp Fiction
Cat People
Grapes of Wrath
Night of the Hunter ("Let me tell you a little story about Good and Evil...")
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Seven Samurai
Any of the original Zatoichi series
Dr Strangelove
A Clockwork Orange
2001: A Space Odyssey
High Noon
Yojimbo
Apocalypse Now
Citizen Kane

[polianarchy]

There are not the best movies I have ever seen, but they are my favorites -- the ones I will watch over and over and over again, as a sort of salve or balm against the horrible soul-crushing ennui.

Caddyshack
Ghostbusters 1 & 2
9 to 5
the Fifth Element
a Knight's Tale
Office Space
Kiki's Delivery Service
Animal House
the Great Outdoors
really, any movie with Dan Aykroyd, my Hollywood crush *girlish sigh*
Princess Mononoke (okeh, anything Studio Ghibli)
Mystery Science Theatre 3000: the movie (anything from the series, pre-Pearl)
the entire ouerves of Kevin Smith, Jim Jarmusch, Harold Ramis, Judd Apatow, and your mom.

Okeh, this is just getting silly. And now, for something completely different...(yes I <3 Monty Python, too)

[bunny]

OH! How could I forget!

The Libertine

The beginning monologue has got to be one of filmdom's finest moments.

Well...that, and the giant worms from Tremors...

[krysbrezinski]

After growing up watching The Twilight Zone, I didn't really see the appeal of Citizen Kane. Sure it's interesting, but I kept thinking afterwards that Rod Serling could've done it better and more concisely.

It's worth a watch, but I wouldn't put it on any must-see list.

Oh! But I just saw a movie that was quite good--Son of Rambow. If you're into coming-of-age films with talented child actors speaking BRITISH (plus a good laugh at Sly Stallone and action film in general), I'd highly recommend it. As much as I love all things slow-paced and dark and heavy, sometimes I need something heartwarming and cute for balance.