Laying It Bare - Your Top 25 Favorite Films

[JenGe]

Notice that I did not state "best" films but your personal favorites.

For the most part I have avoided this type of discussion here because all too often people's likes and dislikes in films inevitably leads to almost a religious fervor and zeal which I find to be just silly.

What films in your life resonated the strongest for you? I don't care if they are impressive or not. Let us be cinephiles that can allow differences.

Here are mine.

Top 25 Favorite Films...

1./2. Equilibrium / Matrix (tie)
3. Gladiator
4. Pitch Black
5. Ben Hur
6. Alien
7. Memento
8. Last of the Mohicans
9. Boondock Saints
10. The Crow
11. Fight Club
12. Raiders of the Lost Ark
13. Total Recall
14. Truman Show
15. Gattaca
16. Ladyhawke
17. Highlander
18. Terminator
19. Blade Runner
20. Seven Samurai
21. Brotherhood of the Wolf
22. Amelie
23. Das Boot
24. Munich
25. Flatliners

[wheels128]

Oh geez... you actually expect me to narrow it down to 25? Here goes:

1. Terminator 2 (Director's Cut only, won't watch the normal version anymore)
2. Die Hard
3. Equilibrium
4. Commando
5. The Matrix
[the above five are inseperable, a noticable cut above the remainder of the list]
6. Goldeneye
7. Passion Of The Christ
8. Bad Boys II
9. American History X
10. Dawn Of The Dead (2004 version)
11. Resident Evil: Apocalypse
12. The Shawshank Redemption
13. True Lies
14. Terminator 3
15. Invasion U.S.A.
16. First Blood
17. Con Air
18. Mission: Impossible
19. Escape From Absolom (USA Title: No Escape)
20. Under Siege
21. xXx (Director's Cut only again)
22. The Last Boy Scout
23. Belly Of The Beast
24. Under Siege 2
25. Predator

Of course, this leaves out a few films that I watch four times a year or more, but you asked for 25. And from my choices, you'll see I'm no cinephile; merely an immature guy with a short attention span.

[ronnoc]

25 films is about half the movies I've seen in my life...

I was happy to see you have Pitch Black in your top five, JenGen. That is my number one I love that movie to death.

1. Pitch Black
2. Donnie Darko
3. The Shinning
4. Blade Runner
5. Maximum Overdrive (Worst movie of all time. It's so bad, it's good)
I'll try and think of the rest. I don't watch movies too much.

[Ankhareon]

Ok, here are mine (bear in mind that many of these are extremely close):
1-King Kong (2005 Remake) - A masterpiece, I could watch this again and again.
2-Kill Bill Vol 1 - Stylish, well-choreographed. Brilliant
3-Equilibrium - Dark, Intelligent, yet balanced with gun kata fight scenes
4-The Matrix - Action, wire work, Bullet time. I love it
5-Kill Bill Vol 2 - It didn't have the action of it's predecessor, yet was still very cool.
6-Kung Pow: Enter the Fist - Steve Odekerk is a genius, I've watched this countless times and still laugh.
7-V For Vendetta - A very modern and realistic dystopia.
8-Mission: Impossible ]|[ - Stunningly human characters, it retains a feeling of realism despite being a spy movie.
9-Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - Epic, well made and breathtaking.
10-The Matrix Reloaded - Not as original as it's predecessor, but with some amazing sequences.
11-Lord of the Rings: The two Towers - Some great battles here. much better than FOTR
12-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi- Thrilling, epic and with just the right amount of comedy in the form of ewoks
13-Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - "Luke. I am Your Father". enough said.
14-Ultraviolet - Action, Awesome technology, Gun kata. A pity it was incomplete.
15-Star Wars: A New Hope - Where would a Brilliant trilogy be without the original?
16-Jaws - A classic Thriller, I love it.
17-Pitch Black - It is dark. You are likely to be eaten by a nocturnal predator. Also Riddick was awesome.
18-The Matrix Revolutions - The action scenes were somehow not as fresh as the other, however they brought a whole new dimension to aerial fights (take that, Dragon Ball Z!)
19-Minority Report - Paradoxes, twist endings, psychics. Three of my favourite plot devices.
20-Sin City - Dark, Gritty, Stylish.
21-The Da Vinci Code - A brilliant thriller that had me guessing until the end.
22-Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Not very epic, but that's still a very well done movie
23-The Bourne Identity - Not as realistic as MI3 but still an interesting spy thriller.
24-Demolition Man - Funny, clever and cool.
25-Team America: World Police - Hillarious

There are many more I would loved to have mentioned, but these have to be my favourite.

[davethejew]

I can't do this, however i noticed most of you have really bland taste in movies, i'm probably just a snob though.

[wheels128]

Dave: Yeah, you're a snob, basically. Give me mindless entertainment over well-created art any day.

Ronnoc: Have you seriously only seen roughly 50 movies? I watch about 300 a year.

[ronnoc]

I've only recently started watching movies heavly. Heavly for me means 2 a month.

What do you mean by bland, Dave? I did notice that most of them are pretty well known...

[davethejew]

They're just mostly all common movies. It's like the dumb kids i went to high school with who's favorite movies were The Matrix, American Pie, and Van Wilder. I've also noticed that most of the movies listed are from the past 10 years. Most of them from the past 5 years. It's just disgusting.

[wheels128]

I just don't enjoy older films. I despised Casablanca, The Third Man and Citizen Kane, all of which rock up in IMDB's top 50. Older films are generally overlong drama-thrillers, too reliant on dialogue and uninteresting characters, good for one watch and one watch only.

The only pre-1980ish films I like were Bond films, Spartacus, Ben Hur and The Great Escape.

[davethejew]

You've been going too common. You need to watch early Kubrick films, like Barry Lyndon and The Killing. The Killing is easily one of the greatest heist films of all times, fast moving as hell. Hitchcocks later work like Frenzy, showcases the beginning of the slasher genre. It was a slasher with a mind. I'm very open minded movie wise. Noone listed A Clockwork Orange on theirs, and i know this board despises Tarantino, Lynch, and Cronenburg. It's alright.

[JenGe]

Well, I don't despise Lynch, and Cronenburg and I love Berry Lyndon & Spartacus. I just listed the top films that moved me the most and the ones I watch over and over again...the ones I'm addicted to like a drug. Never can get enough of. That does not mean that I cannot love other films like Dune, Rebecca, Rope, Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Sting, Alamo (John Wayne), The Evil that Men Do, 1776, Bonny & Clyde, Scrooge (the musical), Stagecoach, Gallipoli, Ran, Jean de Florette, The Great Race, The Court Jester, Singing in the Rain, Gumball Rally, Hudsuker Proxy, Flash Gordon, ...

I think you completely misunderstood the point of this thread Dave (as I actually thought you would). Instead of discussing films that have resonated with each of us the most you have to call into question that which is loved while never allowing us to see your own. A tad hypocritical in my opinion.

[Ankhareon]

There would be more pre-1990 films if it was my top 50 or something - I had to miss Planet of the apes, some of Bruce Lee's Movies, metropolis and the original King Kong to name a few. I like old movies, just not that much.

[davethejew]

Because i can't do a Top 25, i like too many movies, and i'm indecisive as a motherfucker(reason #754 why i don't have any tattoo's). I can't even do a favorite musical artist, or even a top 100. Maybe i could do a Top 100 favorite movies, but there wouldn't be a set order, it would just be a list of 100 movies i love. A count of 25 if far too few. This is reason i'm such a damn good journalist, i'm open minded, ready for everything to come at me.

[davethejew]

Alright lets do this piece by piece, no particular order.

Top 25 Favorite Horror Movies(Does not count suspense, psychological thrillers etc)
(Some sci-fi and comedies might bleed over)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
The Evil Dead
Evil Dead 2
Army Of Darkness
Day Of The Dead
American Psycho
Scanners
Carnival Of Souls
Shaun Of The Dead
Sleepaway Camp
Nightmare On Elm Street Part 3
Friday The 13th Part 4
Freddy Vs Jason
Dawn Of The Dead(Original)
From Dusk Til Dawn
Wild Zero
Bad Taste
Dead Alive
Body Melt
Bloodsucking Freaks
Dead Heat
The Fly(Cronenburg remake)
The Thing(Carpenter Remake)
Videodrome
Event Horizon

And this is basic, i'm probably missing a couple.

[davethejew]

Shit,

Add Maniac and the NOTLD remake on there too...

Top 27

[JenGe]

Much better.

Your assumption that other films are not enjoyed based solely on a top 25 favorite is incorrect.

Everyone is going to base theirs differently. Mine are based on the films I wanted to see 10 or 20 times in the theater after their first viewing and still would see them 20 times a week if I had the time. Like I stated addiction films. For me there really are not that many out there that do that to me. I still love and enjoy thousands of films.

When someone thinks their own opinions are more valid than that of others it is a sure sign of a superiority complex which actually is a form of an inferiority complex. Those who are secure in their own opinion can enjoy the opinions of others without feeling like theirs are being threatened.

That's exactly what I meant in my opening post on this thread. My films are not "holier" than the ones you list. Films are not religion and there is room for everyone's enjoyment.

[JenGe]

One more thing...

I'm just thrilled that people on this site have such diverse tastes. It makes for a much more comprehensive and interesting selection of films on the site.

[ronnoc]

Now, horror films are something that I I can disscuss.


Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2: First one is much better. As much as I love gore, I belive a minimalistic aproch works better in most cases.
The Evil Dead
Evil Dead 2
Army Of Darkness
Day Of The Dead: I'm always surprised that Day is widly ignored in the Living dead films. Can't wait for the remake.
American Psycho: Decent, not one of my favs, no real complaints, I'm just not compled by it.
Scanners: I've heard good things about it, but never seen it.
Carnival Of Souls: Same as Scanners.
Shaun Of The Dead: Funnyness
Sleepaway Camp: Love it! And it just so happens that my faviort band...
Nightmare On Elm Street Part 3: Never been a big fan of the Nightmare's.
Friday The 13th Part 4: Or the Friday the 13th's
Freddy Vs Jason
Dawn Of The Dead(Original): YES! The remake has nothing on it!
From Dusk Til Dawn: I like it, but its not a faviort
Wild Zero: Never even heard of it...
Bad Taste: Gotta love the early Jackson's
Dead Alive: ^
Body Melt: Never heard of it...
Bloodsucking Freaks: ^
Dead Heat: ^^
The Fly(Cronenburg remake): Yep, though I do enjoy the origianl. Body horror is a genre that is underused.
The Thing(Carpenter Remake):
Videodrome: Never seen it.
Event Horizon: Never seen it, but I looked it up, and I am getting it as soon a possible.


Now, I personly belive every list of good horror moives must include: Westworld, Pitch Black (even though it's not scary, at all ), Halloween, Psycho, The Hitcher, Alien, Poltergeist, Creepshow, The Blair Witch Project, and 28 Days Later. Though, before you point it out, many of those are a bit more of suspense, psychological thrillers etc.

[ronnoc]

Hey, cool, they're makeing a The Hitcher remake

[JenGe]

ronnoc said:

Hey, cool, they're makeing a The Hitcher remake

I hear a Westworld remake might be in the works as well though there is nothing official yet.

Great pick there with Creepshow!! I'm not a Horror fan because nothing scares me.

[Ankhareon]

So far all the horror movies except Pitch Black (which is probably more of a thriller) have failed to impress me. I have a similar view as You Jen, I've never been scared by a horror movie in my life. Same with horror-based games - Doom 3 was disappointing - I'd been told so much about it. I've been scared more by action movies (by which I mean years ago and mildly).
However Shaun of the Dead and the Alien/Predator series have impressed me; albeit for entirely different reasons (action, comedy etc).

I personally base my movies solely on how much I enjoyed them on my first viewing, them on the number of times I've wanted to see them again (all my top 15 I've seen or wanted to see at least 10 times). Bonus points for those I've actually seen more than once at the cinemas (Namely the original Star Wars Trilogy, King Kong, Mission Impossible ]|[).

[yoshimitzu]

Whats the deal with cutting into other peoples tastes, artwork is not a static subject at all, let us embrace all taste and opinion and share so we can expand our horizons.

1. Pulp Fiction
2. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
3. Shogun Assassin
4. Resavour Dogs
5. Equilibrium
6. Kill Bill 1
7. Kill Bill 2
8. 7 Samuari
9. Jackey Brown
10. Street Fighter 1(Chiba)
11. Shoguns Ninja
12. True Romance
13. SW - Return of the Jedi
14. SW - Empire Xikes back
15. Fight Club
16. Versis
17. Hero
18. Hidden Fortress
19. Yojimbo
20. Gladiator
21. HEAT
22. Once upon a time in Mexico
23. Blade Runner
24. Last Man Standing (Bruce Willis)
25. Samurai 1/2/3 Miyamoto Musashi
***
26. Matrix
27. House of Flying Daggers
28. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

[ronnoc]

admin said:

ronnoc said:

Hey, cool, they're makeing a The Hitcher remake

I hear a Westworld remake might be in the works as well though there is nothing official yet.

Great pick there with Creepshow!! I'm not a Horror fan because nothing scares me.

Good, I love Westworld, but it has been pretty much forgotten.

I love Stephen King [fanboyism], I've read all of his books [/fanboyism] and I love George A. Romero (who really should have done Pet Sematary), so it was win-win. Creepshow 3 will be interesting.

Personly, I am very easy to scare, makeing me rather unique among horror/splatterpuck fans.

[blondie]

well I might as well try one out, but mine will be way different than most of yours. Most are old for one thing. not in order either.

1 The good, the bad, and the ugly
2 connan the destroyer
3 the dead pool (aka dirty harry 5 with jimmy carry as a drugy)
4 office space
5 fist full of dollars
6 once upon a time in the west
7 equilibrium
8 eternal sunshine of a spotless mind
9 caddy shack
10 boondock saints
11 braveheart
12 high plains drifter
13 snatch
14 ace venture
15 seven samura
16 the big lebowski
17 hoosiers (since I am a hoosier myself)
18 pulp fiction
19 preditor
20 the outlaw josey wales
21 the enforcer (dirty harry 3)
22 shaun of the dead
23 gattaca
24 any which way you can
25 son in law

[mav100000]

In no particular order:
1. Halloween / Halloween II (since the second one is a continuation of the first movie, i consider it one film)
2. Hard Boiled
3. Versus
4. Battle Royale
5. Predator
6. The Terminator
7. Robocop
8. Escape from New York
9. The Thing
10. Shaun of the Dead
11. Hot Fuzz
12. Alien
13. Aliens
14. Alien 3
15. Dawn of the Dead
16. Day of the Dead
17. Enter the Dragon
18. Die Hard
19. Black Hawk Down
20. Platoon
21. The Fog
22. Prince of Darkness
23. American Werewolf in London
24. Dog Soldiers
25. Return of the Living Dead
There are plenty more, but the thread asked for 25.

[deckard]

1. The Thin Red Line
2. Letters from Iwo Jima
3. Platoon
4. Gallipoli
5. Apocalypse Now
6. Schindler's List
7. Saving Private Ryan
8. Jarhead
9. Alien 3
10. Blade Runner
11. Starship Troopers
12. No Man's Land
13. War of the Worlds (2005)
14. Aliens
15. Star Wars: A New Hope
16. King Kong (2005)
17. Pitch Black
18. the first Lord of the Rings
19. Chronicles of Riddick
20. Predator
21. The Thing
22. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
23. Deep Impact
24. Event Horizon
25. Resident Evil

[Wraith]

1. Empire Strikes Back
2. Equilibrium
3. The Big Lebowski
4. Blade Runner
5. Lord of the Rings
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark
7. Gladiator
8. Batman (1989)
9. Star Wars
10. Children of Men
11. Return of the Jedi
12. Spider-Man 2
13. Unbreakable
14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
15. Casino Royale
16. GoldenEye
17. This Is Spinal Tap
18. Best In Show
19. Kill Bill
20. Die Hard
21 UltraViolet
22. The Lion King
23. Saving Private Ryan
24. The Third Man
25. Secret of NIMH

[jamasianman]

I'm kind of a film snob, I like the older films better...here are my top ten, I haven't expanded to 25 yet, but I can go a bit farther maybe

1. Dirty Harry
2. Alien
3. Aliens (ex)
4. Airplane!
5. The Thing
6. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
7. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
8. Bonnie and Clyde
9. Wild Strawberries
10. Paprika
11. Das Boot (uncut 5 hour)
12. The Virgin Spring
13. Death Wish
14. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
15. Dawn of the Dead (1987)

Still gotta keep watching movies

[garfield2710]

In no particular order...

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
4. Jaws
5. Jurassic Park
6. Saving Private Ryan
7. Rain Man
8. WALL-E
9. Ratatouille
10. Kung Fu Panda
11. Pirates of the Caribbean 1
12. Pirates of the Caribbean 2
13. Pirates of the Caribbean 3
14. Batman Begins
15. The Dark Knight
16. Cars
17. The Terminal
18. Gone with the Wind
19. Wizard of Oz
20. The Lion King
21. Next
22. The Count of Monte Cristo
23. Spiderwick Chronicles
24. National Treasure
25. National Treasure: Book of Secrets