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Alternate Oscars

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Off Topic
Posted on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 11:41:16 AM EST
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Dennis Hartley's 10 Best Films list reminded me of Danny Peary's 1993 book Alternate Oscars (his picks here. Anyway, I thought I would add my own 10 favorites:

(1) Chinatown (1974)
(2) Once Upon A Time In The West (1969)
(3) Casablanca (1942)
(4) Annie Hall (1977)
(5) The Godfather (1972)
(6) Dr. Strangelove (1964)
(7) 8 1/2 (1963)
(8) Sugata Sanjiro (1943)
(9) Rear Window (1954)
(10) Bridge On the River Kwai (1957)

So many favorites left off this list. No John Ford? No Peckinpaugh? No Scorsese? No Coen Brothers? No Billy Wilder? No Robert Altman? But you have to pick 10. BTW, I like Avatar for Best Picture tonight. Pedestrian story? Sure. Technical achievement was transformational imo.

Speaking for me only

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    Lawrence of Arabia (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Salo on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 11:49:37 AM EST
    Clockwork Orange

    Bad Lieutenant

    Let The Right One In

    Come And See (Russian)

    Sean Of The Dead/ Hot Fuzz

    Man Bites Dog

    American Psycho

    Psycho

    Zulu

    in no  particular order...

    I do not know some of those (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 11:53:17 AM EST
    Love Bad Lieutenant. Psycho obviously. Zulu is tremendous. Clockwork Orange? Eh. Paths of Glory is great Kubrick. Also Spartacus.

    Parent
    Paths of glory considered (none / 0) (#5)
    by Salo on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 11:57:41 AM EST
    But I already had too many war films. I could have just as easily said "something by Kubrick."

    "Come and See"  is remarkable.  

    Parent

    Kubrick is almost (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:20:51 PM EST
    always a fascinating filmmaker, and I thought about putting Clockwork in my list.  Then I thought about some of the rather tedious and depressing scenes of the main character in the forced rehab situations, and decided to pass.  Of course, I haven't seen it since it was released.

    I actually slightly prefer his The Shining (1980).  With 2001 being his best effort ever.

    Parent

    He's in his own league. (none / 0) (#26)
    by Salo on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:39:23 PM EST
    He only made one stinker. Everything else was good.

    Parent
    I need to watch Paths of Glory. (none / 0) (#10)
    by observed on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:08:35 PM EST
    The Fountain is the best recent movie I have seen recently.
    It's unusual and beautiful.

    Parent
    Sean of The Dead :) (5.00 / 1) (#126)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:45:11 PM EST
    The dudes in this house LUV it.

    Parent
    And Josh tells me I've spelled (5.00 / 1) (#133)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:58:06 PM EST
    Sean wrong and it's Shaun

    Parent
    American Psycho? (none / 0) (#88)
    by andgarden on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 03:17:34 PM EST
    Really? I think a middle school friend bought a bootleg of that joke to watch and ridicule when it came out.

    Parent
    I was teen in the late 80s (5.00 / 1) (#96)
    by Salo on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:01:34 PM EST
    It captures the 1980s in a way that no other tale ever quite managed. It's a portrait of yuppie culture as it was. Including the admiration of Phil Collins. Which I tend to find psychotic people actaully enjoy.

    Parent
    Even more incomprehensively ... BP to American ... (none / 0) (#92)
    by Ellie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 03:43:42 PM EST
    ... Beauty in 2000. Hmmm, something about "American" in the title ... *

    Bleccch, a hugely overrated vapid empty-headed POS, what you get when an aggressive marketing campaign laps other films' normal pre-AA boosterism.

    It was kind of the Obama gaming of the system kung-fu of its time. One of those reputedly message-containing films that the Creative Class (to borrow a term for the sake of argument) don't actually like, but think it's good that the films were made so that the stoopids can go improve themselves. (I think this is shaping into a genre.)

    Weirdly, the superb American Friend by Wim Wenders, one of Patricia Highsmith's "Ripley" series (and with Dennis Hopper as Ripley) got SFA.

    Parent

    Let the Right One In (none / 0) (#107)
    by tworivers on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:15:26 PM EST
    is an amazing movie.  I'm half-tempted to put it on my list.

    Parent
    Sounds interesting! Fairly recent film -- (none / 0) (#114)
    by jawbone on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:29:33 PM EST
    NYTimes review.

    Parent
    Transformational? It's a media (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by observed on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:02:21 PM EST
    darling too!

    Cool Hand Luke (1967) (5.00 / 4) (#9)
    by Rojas on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:08:02 PM EST


    Cept for Salo (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:10:10 PM EST
    the rest of you are too cowardly to pick 10.

    I get that. Kind of a silly exercise anyway.

    I'm not that much of a film buff (none / 0) (#16)
    by observed on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:25:55 PM EST
    I could pick my top ten performances of Strauss's Four Last Songs though!

    Parent
    Why bother with 10? (none / 0) (#32)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:47:58 PM EST


    Parent
    I know, there's only one:) (none / 0) (#34)
    by observed on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:51:22 PM EST


    Parent
    Silly, but fun (none / 0) (#17)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:26:08 PM EST
    Kind of a memory test for me. So the ones that stick are the ones I can, and have,  watched over and over.  Glad you agree on 'Rear Window'.  Does not get near the attention it deserves. It's been a favorite since I first saw it as a kid.

    Parent
    Hey, do my laundry, I'll give you 10 movies or bux (none / 0) (#54)
    by Ellie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:19:43 PM EST
    Besides, there's so much awesome work and talent that doesn't even get a millifraction of the attention as a piano playing YouTube cat does in the godforsaken cultural tundra that is the aughts.

    Peeved: In a time where people can access almost any work of art made, 24/7, evah, always, they're so narrowly blinkered, "Oh that was before my teensy pinprick of time on the planet and a dust-mote past my toy-ridden infantilized lifestyle."

    Parent

    Wow. I agree with (5.00 / 2) (#12)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:15:59 PM EST
    half of BTD's picks, at least in the sense of putting them on a Top 10 list.

    Mine:

    1. The Godfather (1972).  About as flawless as they come.

    2. Psycho (1960).  Ditto.  Underappreciated at the time because of the Academy's stupid antipathy towards honoring horror films.

    3. Godfather Pt II (1973).  Apart from some annoyingly too-underlit scenes, nearly flawless.

    4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).  Should be a crime to see it other than on the large screen and with a crisp print.

    5. Annie Hall.  Funny and warm, unlike Woody's previous just funny films.

    6. Shane (1951).  Not your typical Western.  Nor your typical Western hero with the diminutive soft-spoken Alan Ladd.

    7. Chinatown (1974).

    8. Double Indemnity (1944).  My fave hard-boiled noir film.

    9. Bridge on River Kwai (1957).  Look forward one day to seeing this one on the big screen at the local revival house.

    10. Rear Window.  Tied on the Top 10 List with Hitchcock's Notorious and North by Northwest.  


    Yeah, I hate the Acad's genre-snobbery ... (5.00 / 1) (#61)
    by Ellie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:30:44 PM EST
    ... they got over it post Star Wars/ Close Encounters.

    A notable Hitchcock gem is Shadow of a Doubt: spooky but also a really intelligent, tender (girl's) coming of age portrait.

    Parent

    Shadow was a quality (5.00 / 2) (#76)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:14:28 PM EST
    Hitch film (and at some point he himself said it was his favorite of his own movies).  Teresa Wright and Hume Cronyn fine performances.  A flawed but good movie.  Top 10 Hitchcock list.  

    Parent
    It is not just genre snobbery (none / 0) (#116)
    by bridget on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:53:21 PM EST
    Ignoring Mel Gibson's Apocalypto was a total disgrace.

    The most exciting film of the year.

    Parent

    Glad you said 'favorites' and not 'best' (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:23:48 PM EST
    I might not be able to argue for these as 'best', but they are my favorites...in no order...

    Tootsie

    Rear Window

    Notorious

    Gone With The Wind

    Beauty and the Beast (Disney animated)

    Out of Africa

    Sense and Sensibility

    The Lion in Winter

    Being There

    Apocalypse Now

    Seems odd that there is nothing close to being new on there - I did love the first Lord of the Rings installment, and jsut about all of the Coen bothers and P. T. Anderson ...but I can't watch them over and over.

    Tootsie is actually A good candidate. (none / 0) (#18)
    by Salo on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:27:17 PM EST
    Again briefly considered. It's hard to decide.

    Parent
    Definitely hard to decide (none / 0) (#19)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:29:51 PM EST
    Ask me again tomorrow and probably 3 or 4 would change. I got reminded of some by yours and the other lists. Love 'Lawrence of Arabia' too.

    But Tootsie might be my favorite of all time, so it stays!

    Parent

    Apocalypse Now (none / 0) (#20)
    by Salo on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:30:42 PM EST
    Is overshadowed by "come and see." by about 20 degrees of authenticity. However I'd love to see Heart of Darkness made in a stylish way. There's something utterly terrifying about King Leopold of the Belgians.  He hid his crimes... American televised Vietnam.    

    Parent
    I'm getting hints for my (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:34:33 PM EST
    Netflix cue from this thread. Thanks!  

    I don't necessarily give 'Apocalypse Now' many authenticity points, but for me it is hard to beat as a sheer cinematic experience. Gorgeous visuals, music, acting, the whole package.  

    Parent

    favorites (none / 0) (#41)
    by Lora on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:58:23 PM EST
    The African Queen

    Lord of the Rings (all of them)

    Parent

    Things that are great aren't necessarily my (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by Angel on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:35:31 PM EST
    favorites.  I love some of the oldies like M.A.S.H., The Goodbye Girl (LOVE Neil Simon), Same Time Next Year, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger (ah, Jack Lemon, wonderful actor).  More recently I loved Lost in Translation, Brokeback Mountain, Notes on a Scandal....

    The Apartment (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:42:02 PM EST
    should have been on my list...dang!

    Parent
    There are so many. Out of Africa should be on (none / 0) (#90)
    by Angel on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 03:36:57 PM EST
    my list as well.  The French Lieutenant's Woman.  Here we go with the Meryl Streep movies!  Also, Kramer vs Kramer (Dustin and Meryl, oohhhhhh).  Clint Eastwood's Play Misty for Me was a good thriller.  That Glenn Close movie...what was it?  The one with Michael Douglas???  Oh yes, Fatal Attraction!  Creepy scary.  There are so many good movies that didn't win awards or even got nominated.  So, I will remember some of the ones that entertained me regardless of whether the powers in H'wood like them.  What about some of the old 'road movies' with Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, et al? Or classics like American Graffiti, Saturday Night Fever, Urban Cowboy - they all gave us something that became a part of the cultural lore.  Wow, my list could be quite long if I really sat and thought about it for any length of time.  

    Parent
    The English Patient (1996) (5.00 / 3) (#23)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:36:52 PM EST
    Howard's End (1992)
    Walkabout (1991)
    Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)
    Vanya on 42nd Street (1994)
    Deliverance (1992)
    Tampopo (1985)
    The Lives of Others (2006)
    Damage (1992)
    Mississippi Marsala (1991)

    No particular order and, yes, I know many of these are foreign films.

    I almost put (none / 0) (#27)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:39:55 PM EST
    The English Patient and Howard's End on mine too.  Also 'The End of the Affair'.

    I know lots of people hate 'The English Patient', but I thought it was great.

    Parent

    Walkabout! (none / 0) (#66)
    by snstara on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:51:06 PM EST
    That's on my list, for sure! :-)

    Parent
    Tampopo (none / 0) (#78)
    by daring grace on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:25:00 PM EST
    Yes, so much to love in that one.

    Parent
    Are (none / 0) (#81)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:36:30 PM EST
    you talking about the Burt Reynolds Deliverance or anohter movie with the same name?

    Parent
    This one: (none / 0) (#82)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:40:10 PM EST
    Deliverance

    Parent
    Okay. (none / 0) (#84)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:48:02 PM EST
    That's the one I was thinking of but didn't know fi there was another movie with the same name.

    I don't live all that far from where the story took place.

    Parent

    That was one scary flick! (none / 0) (#85)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:51:01 PM EST


    Parent
    Super scary! (none / 0) (#131)
    by bridget on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:49:43 PM EST


    Parent
    Deliverance is a true classic (none / 0) (#130)
    by bridget on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:48:28 PM EST
    I just saw it again  and after all this time it held up so very well. I was so impressed with it.

    Parent
    The River Wild w. Meryl Streep (none / 0) (#132)
    by bridget on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:53:57 PM EST
    was also a v. exciting and suspenseful film -

    Amazing water raft ride.

    Parent

    I know her stunt double (none / 0) (#146)
    by samtaylor2 on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 08:03:32 PM EST
    A trully bad ass chick.

    Parent
    Do you know Zoe Bell? (none / 0) (#189)
    by bridget on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 06:58:44 PM EST
    She is an extremely talented stunt double from New Zealand and I thought she was a hightlight in Quenton Tarantino's Death Proof. She played herself in Death Proof.

    Parent
    Original "The Manchurian Candidate" (5.00 / 2) (#31)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:46:51 PM EST
    (1962) should be on 10 best list.  But what will I delete?

    The MC is one of (5.00 / 3) (#51)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:12:26 PM EST
    the best political thriller-conspiracy films ever made.  Some in this category would at least make my Top 20 List:

    The Parallax View (1973).  Still too little noted and appreciated.

    Three Days of the Condor (1977).

    Seven Days in May (1964).  The movie JFK wanted Frankenheimer to make, as a warning to the public about the creeping danger of political extremism on the Right.

    All the President's Men (1975).

    Parent

    Three Days of The Condor (5.00 / 1) (#68)
    by snstara on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:53:52 PM EST
    was excellent!  Probably the best suspense opening I can recall...

    Parent
    No Delete (none / 0) (#171)
    by squeaky on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 02:04:24 AM EST
    It is a ridiculous question, to pick 10 all time great films, imo.

    If I had to do that, the list would change on a regular basis, day to day.

    100 best films is more reasonable goal for me. Maybe I am limited in my abilities, but I cannot remember all the films I have ever seen so that I can so easily make that kind of distillation. And if I did have the ability to remember everything about all the films I have ever seen, I do not think I would be able to come up with an all time 10 best.

    Parent

    Raging Bull and Goodfellas: C'mon, what does Marty (5.00 / 2) (#33)
    by Ellie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:48:55 PM EST
    ... have to do to get respect from youze skags?

    Ordinary People over Raging Bull? Rilly? (The exquisite Coal Miner's Daughter was also a BP nom that year).

    And Dances with Wolves over Goodfellas? Say whaaa? Tatonka? Okay, that wolf was pretty good but he was no Ray Liotta --- oh, the Ray Liotta of Wolves ... ?

    Well, I'll have to give you that one.

    I liked (5.00 / 1) (#38)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:55:09 PM EST
    'The Age of Innocence' and 'Gangs if New York' better than either of those!  Of course I only have eyes for Daniel Day Lewis.

    Parent
    How about "Casino" with the sound of (5.00 / 2) (#40)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:57:25 PM EST
    crunching bones?

    Parent
    I love "The Age of Innocence" (none / 0) (#123)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:36:47 PM EST
    Forgot about that one, I watch it at least twice a year too.  And the remake of 'The Last of the Mohicans' was pretty awesome.

    Parent
    I still say (5.00 / 1) (#176)
    by jondee on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 10:52:19 AM EST
    Mean Streets was his best.

    And the "un-Christian" Last Temptation may be the greatest Jesus film (evah!)

    Parent

    The Best Years of Our Lives (5.00 / 2) (#43)
    by byteb on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:02:16 PM EST
    directed by William Wyler....a 1946 classic about WW2 vets adjusting to life back home. Sadly, as timely now as it was then. It never falls to move me to near tears.

    oh, and three John Ford favorites (5.00 / 1) (#47)
    by byteb on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:08:06 PM EST
    The Searchers, The Quiet Man and The Grapes of Wrath

    Parent
    Definitely Grapes. (5.00 / 2) (#52)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:14:57 PM EST
    But I prefer Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance over The Searchers.

    Parent
    Stagecoach (4.50 / 2) (#70)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:00:05 PM EST
    is my favorite John Ford...and John Wayne.

    Parent
    Best Years I didn't (5.00 / 1) (#80)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:34:22 PM EST
    fully warm to until about my 3d viewing on teevee.   Great cast, especially Dana Andrews in an understated performance, and the always understated Myrna "Trompe" Loy.

    Parent
    Favorites (not already mentioned) (5.00 / 2) (#44)
    by KeysDan on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:03:30 PM EST
    Gaslight, All About Eve, The Battle of Algiers, Sling Blade, Matchpoint, The Departed, Inglorious Basterds, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Whatever Works, and The Talented Mr. Ripley.   Hate to exclude these oldies: To kill a Mockingbird, Dark Victory, and, more recent, Once Upon a Time in America, but I guess I have to or I would have 13.

    Oh yes, The Talented Mr. Ripley (5.00 / 1) (#124)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:38:20 PM EST
    I live in a time when choosing so few favorites is impossible.

    Parent
    I prefer (5.00 / 2) (#48)
    by robotalk on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:08:30 PM EST
    la dolce vita over 8.5.

    Any early Kubrick (Paths, The Killing, Spartacus) over later Kubrick (except first half of metal jacket).

    North by Northwest over Rear Window for Hitchcock.  The very weird, perhaps weirdest Hollywood mainstream movie, Psycho, over Rear Window.  But I do prefer the non-claustrophobic in film and in Hitchcock.

    Again, no Welles.  Either Kane or Magnificent Ambersons.

    Not a huge Scorcese fan.  Goodfellas is his best.

    Lebowski is one of the most unexpectedly enjoyable movies you will ever see.

    No one picked "The Birds." (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:20:35 PM EST


    Parent
    No where near my favorite Hitchcock (5.00 / 1) (#58)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:25:12 PM EST
    Scary though, and definitely a cultural touchstone. Who over the age of 40 doesn't think of  'The Birds' when they see a big flock of birds? It is almost a reflex response - when walking in a group someone always says 'The Birds!'.

    Well, in the groups I walk in anyway!

    Parent

    I might put The Birds (5.00 / 1) (#60)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:25:43 PM EST
    in my Top 20 for sure.  Hitchcock's last great (or near-great) film.

    Parent
    Daphne Du Maurier's The Birds, the source-SCARY (5.00 / 1) (#93)
    by jawbone on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 03:57:28 PM EST
    OK, when I read it I was pretty young. It was in the home we lived in before my father died, which was just before I turned 13. My brother, 5 years older, was baby sitting while my parents were out for a late evening. I'd skipped 2nd grade and can't recall what grade I was in, but my sense of my age was 9 or 10, maybe 11....

    I can still visualize the corner of the living room I was sitting in reading the book, the glow of the floor lamp, sort of recall the ottoman there. But I clearly remember the stark fear I felt when I got to the the scary parts.

    I remember going to bed and covering my head with the blankets -- like that would help! Took me a long time to get to sleep, what with checking the windows were closed, there was nothing in the room, etc.

    The movie did not scare me as much. Imagination is pretty powerful.

    Parent

    Rebecca (book and movie) held up well (none / 0) (#101)
    by Ellie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:11:57 PM EST
    ... too, like the eponymous, ageless lady of the portrait! :-D

    Mostly, I have this perverse love of any production where the mousy Joan Fontaine or her sister Olivia de Haviland get terrorized but good by a more formidable woman in touch with her inner Alpha B!tch.

    Parent

    I can never get past (none / 0) (#57)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:24:07 PM EST
    the annoying post-production voice dubbing in Italian films.  So, no 8.5 or Dolce Vita or any other Eyetaliano movie for moi.

    Citizen Kane has always struck me as a cineaste's or filmmaker's type of film, and something to be more admired for its technical virtuosity than enjoyed as a movie-going experience.

    Parent

    [SLAP] Snap out of it! [/Cher] Buy/Rent/See ... (5.00 / 1) (#64)
    by Ellie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:48:43 PM EST
    ... whatever version suits your understanding: clean for the proficiently bilingual; subs or dubs depending on what assist you'd prefer to follow.

    And a reminder to all movie-lovers join your local Cinémathèque. Support the preservation of film(s) as the creators' intended them to be seen PLUS bring a sense of awe back into your life (and, WFT, save a buck or two while doing it.)

    Why drown under the toxic spew from the train wreck of celebrity promoted by desperate media types who aren't ever sure if what someone just said is original speech or a reference?

    Parent

    You're right (none / 0) (#69)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:54:34 PM EST
    or maybe i'll just learn Italian.

    Parent
    You can enrol in Whatzamatta U or just ... (none / 0) (#71)
    by Ellie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:02:04 PM EST
    get down the hand gestures. ;-)

    If you know Latin, you "know" Italian (or can follow along fairly easily after your ear relaxes.)

    The bonus in much field-related jargon (legalese, medicalese, sciences) is how the abundance of Latin gives you a jump on films done in a Romance language.

    Parent

    Hey, we all have (none / 0) (#79)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:25:50 PM EST
    our movie-viewing quirks.  For a Woody Allen, he can't start in on a movie if he's missed the opening credits.  For moi, if there's any consistent dubbing going on throughout the film, even with the handy subtitles, forget it.  

    And besides (I figure), I've already given it up -- plenty over the years -- to some of those other Euro filmmakers, the French and Germans especially, so I've already done my foreign movie-going duty, at least for this particular lifetime.  (Not to mention all that time and money spent at the original Cinémathèque in Paree when I used to live there just a few Métro stops away.)

    We all have our limits.  Mine are dubbing, wobbly hand-held cameras, and, probably, movies where too many scenes are shot in the dark (e.g., Reds by Warren Beatty).

    Parent

    Ha! I know only too well what you mean about subs (none / 0) (#86)
    by Ellie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:52:42 PM EST
    I can get along with my rusty Spanish, French or Italian (no subs) 5-20 mins in, and always had to drag my indulgent BF (current Husb) to see foreign language films. (He can somewhat understand Italian, a bit of German.)

    He'd be so p!ssed when my choice -- we take turns picking a flick and have a no-whining rule -- ended up being Asian. (I crush hard on Hong Kong cinema, Japanese and retro Bolly even before it gets out of Quentin Tarantino's GI tract.)

    Parent

    me too on both points (none / 0) (#59)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:25:33 PM EST


    Parent
    Too many to just pick 10 favorites (5.00 / 2) (#53)
    by Inspector Gadget on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:16:46 PM EST
    Schindler's List
    Ryan's Daughter
    Dr Zhivago
    Fiddler on the Roof
    The Crying Game
    Finding Neverland
    Out of Africa
    Bad Influence
    The Game
    White Castle
    Gallipoli (5.00 / 2) (#56)
    by Inspector Gadget on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:22:43 PM EST


    Parent
    Where is "Anatomy of a Murder" on (5.00 / 2) (#63)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:44:15 PM EST
    these lists?  (1959)

    No Musicals? (5.00 / 1) (#72)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:04:19 PM EST
    Singing in the Rain?
    An American in Paris?
    My Fair Lady?
    The Sound of Music?
    Chicago?

    naa, me neither.

    But...the Wizard of Oz (5.00 / 2) (#73)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:04:59 PM EST
    YES!

    Parent
    Music man (5.00 / 1) (#75)
    by Rojas on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:13:29 PM EST


    Parent
    Forgot Cabaret, forgive me Liza. (none / 0) (#175)
    by KeysDan on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 10:15:13 AM EST


    Parent
    Ten Movies: (5.00 / 1) (#74)
    by snstara on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:08:23 PM EST
    In no particular order, and based on personal impact:

    Walkabout
    Dr. Strangelove
    Blade Runner
    Star Wars & Empire Strikes Back - unrevised versions
    The Third Man
    Apocalypse Now
    The Big Lebowski (tough call with Coens!)
    Reservoir Dogs
    The Kingdom - Von Trier's TV series
    Waltz with Bashir

    Many, many, many others including a lot mentioned upthread.

    And, FWIW, I think 'The Hurt Locker' is an amazing film.  Too bad that producer couldn't have let the work speak for itself.

    And one of the Sellers Pink Panthers belongs (5.00 / 2) (#89)
    by andgarden on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 03:26:21 PM EST
    I can't say which, though. A favorite scene, and another, and another.

    I think Hurt Locker for Best Pic (5.00 / 1) (#91)
    by kmblue on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 03:43:21 PM EST
    Bigelow best director
    Bridges best actor Bullock best actress, the guy in Bastards best supporting, Monique, best supporting

    fav movies not mentioned

    Streetcar Named Desire with Brando and Leigh
    Casablanca
    Hannah and Her Sisters
    The Sixth Sense
    All About Eve

    Fingers crossed for Bigelow: class, great chops (none / 0) (#94)
    by Ellie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 03:57:40 PM EST
    ... more than paid her dues and turned in a quality pic.

    I can see a best pic/director split happening here.

    Parent

    Ellie, I'll be back tomorrow (5.00 / 1) (#97)
    by kmblue on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:02:10 PM EST
    to cheer if she wins, especially if she takes best pic too!

    Parent
    Yeeee haaaaaa! (none / 0) (#158)
    by kmblue on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 11:09:32 PM EST
    best director KB

    best pic Hurt Locker!

    Parent

    Personally I thought the film (none / 0) (#98)
    by Salo on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:04:14 PM EST
    Hit a lot of false notes about bomb disposal. My grandfather actually did this job from 1940-41 as a Royal Engineer and as a miner in the inter war period. It's completely overdramatized.

    Parent
    Good thing she's not in a Doc'y category then! (none / 0) (#142)
    by Ellie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 06:55:01 PM EST
    Phew! Close one!

    I haven't seen all of the other nominees but presume they won't be pulled over to show their respective dramatic licenses, esp. not the year when Avatar's the front-runner. (I kid.)

    But there's still a double-standard with women directors (alpha dog role); the rough adage of 2x good for 1/2 the respect still applying.

    Parent

    exactly (5.00 / 1) (#159)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 11:17:31 PM EST
    Like all those old WWII movies were accurate? Give me a break. It's fiction.

    Parent
    2 x masochistic (none / 0) (#178)
    by jondee on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 11:36:25 AM EST
    for 2 x the higher moral ground, as well.

    Parent
    Pulling for Bigelow, too, (none / 0) (#102)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:12:05 PM EST
    even though I haven't seen her movie.  Probably a worthy film about a worthy subject.  

    But mostly it's so we can finally check off the "Academy Has Never Awarded A BD to a Woman" category, and highlight how few women direct major pix in Hollywood.  Maybe we'll get some controversy along those lines in her acceptance speech, too.  Been a while since someone ruffled some feathers up there (MMoore, 2004 I believe ...)

    Parent

    The Inner Netz must be abuzz with the same (none / 0) (#125)
    by Ellie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:40:08 PM EST
    ... sentiment I just lost (that got eaten in the ether) when I was responding to your post.

    OR Hollywood's Ladies' Lane is moving over its speedbumps and working around its detours at it's usual glacial "progressive" pace.

    I recently endured some Hollywood jackwad holding forth (without a speck of irony) about people not wanting to see stories about women; plus, women couldn't turn in a "meaty" looking film. (What the freakin f*ck? Why not just develop a schlong-shaped lens already.) Not an "old" guy either.

    I know a lot of women are going to whoop extra loudly tonight if Bigelow wins. Well wishing brethren?

    I no longer believe they're out there in any number worth paying attention to or give enough of a damn to change things.

    Parent

    Personally I thought an education (none / 0) (#154)
    by Salo on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 09:39:46 PM EST
    Was the best film this year from that list. Clever logical relivant to real life.

    Parent
    Terrific, poignant, thought-provoking film. (none / 0) (#163)
    by oculus on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 12:13:58 AM EST


    Parent
    Here are ten very good films (5.00 / 1) (#95)
    by bridget on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 03:59:08 PM EST
    although I could put down hundereds since I see at least a film a day:

    Apocalypto
    Braveheart
    Das Boot
    The Tin Drum

    BRD Trilogy:Marriage of Maria Braun

    The Samurai Trilogy (w. the amazing Toshiro Mifune)

    Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

    Revolutionary Road (Kate and Leo were brilliant here)

    Changeling - and so was Angelina Jolie -
    could have easily won the Oascar but Kate Winslet deserved it, too

    A River Runs Through It

    Any Clint Eastwood film - I have seen them all.
    ---
    ok - just my opinion, of course, but Casablanca is highly overrated. It just isn't that good. Yet it appears on every film critic's list.

    It's funny (5.00 / 1) (#104)
    by andgarden on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:12:59 PM EST
    I've seen lots and lots of movies, but hardly any on your list. And I genuinely LOVE Casablanca. Unlike Gone With the Wind, I think it deserves its high ratings.

    Parent
    That IS funny (none / 0) (#111)
    by bridget on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:25:51 PM EST
    but then again, I watch many many films.

    I Could make hundreds of lists but that wasn't the idea here, wasn't it. At the moment I watch every Asian film I can get my eyes on :-) Thanks goodness for Netflix.

    IMHO Bogard is not bad in Casablanca but often phones in his performances. He did a great job in the very good The African Queen - probably having  the great Kate as a partner helped.

    Parent

    Two mid-sized qualms (5.00 / 1) (#117)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:00:31 PM EST
    about Casablanca which could tilt it slightly into the Overrated category for me.

    First, the writers and/or Curtiz could have fleshed out more the early Paris-based Bogie-Bergman relationship, which could have made the later Casablanca-based scenes pay off more in depth and believability.  Second, too much highly polished and too clever to be believed dialogue in the mouths of too many characters gave it all an unnatural feel.  I don't find myself getting too emotionally involved with these characters, as opposed to tending to note the many memorable lines.

    Parent

    Memorable Casablanca scene (none / 0) (#120)
    by bridget on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:30:28 PM EST
    This is the only scene from Casablanca we always remembered. V. Funny but totally believable. So ist das Leben!

    Mr. Leuchtag: Liebchen - sweetnessheart, what watch?
    Mrs. Leuchtag: Ten watch.
    Mr. Leuchtag: Such much?

    Parent

    It's got some knee-buckling great dialogue too (5.00 / 1) (#127)
    by Ellie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:45:18 PM EST
    "The Nazis wore grey.
    .
    .
    She ...
    Wore blue."

    One pic I'd definitely have amongst my faves is Gilda. Some sloppiness here and there but I just love it to death.

    Parent

    I cant help it.. (none / 0) (#177)
    by jondee on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 10:58:10 AM EST
    that Bergman line, "who's the boy playing the piano?" (the twice-her-age Dooley Wilson), still pisses me off.

    Parent
    Check on Butch (none / 0) (#115)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:45:14 PM EST
    Cassidy.  Ditto for The Sting.  The latter almost a perfect film entertainment.

    Das Boot and Maria Braun, yes.

    Tin Drum I recall seeing in its first run, and it was quite the big-splash foreign film.  Only thing I objected to was the unfortunate, stomach-churning scene regarding a certain culinary choice by one of the female characters which I'd rather not dwell on .. but otherwise, check.

    Parent

    Nothing since 1977... (5.00 / 1) (#109)
    by pluege on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:16:05 PM EST
    curmudgeon alert!

    Just about every Bergman film, Well, not every, (5.00 / 2) (#110)
    by jawbone on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:24:09 PM EST
    but way too many to list.

    Bergman filmography.

    I think one of the most sensuous scenes I've ever experienced on film is with Liv Ullman simply walking past a former lover, saying nothing, in Cries and Whisphers. Recalling some of the scenes from that film gives me chills.

    Right now I can't recall the movie about the people forced into lifeboats...but that was a film which led to lots of discussions.

    A Bergman fan, as well. (5.00 / 1) (#134)
    by KeysDan on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 06:16:32 PM EST
    Man, Woman, bed, and the sea.  Great themes all.

    Parent
    my 10 picks (5.00 / 1) (#112)
    by tworivers on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:27:13 PM EST
    Rules of the Game
    McCabe and Mrs. Miller
    Throne of Blood
    Duck Soup
    Sherlock Jr.
    Orphee
    Once Upon a Time in the West
    Planet of the Apes (1968 version)
    Seventh Seal
    Ugetsu

    close contenders:

    Maltese Falcon
    Evil Dead II
    Night of the Hunter
    Big Lebowski
    Don't Look Now
    Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte
    Carnival of Souls
    Aguirre Wrath of God
    Point Blank
    Easy Living or Bringing Up Baby
    The Searchers
    Alice in the Cities
    Out of the Past
    Alphaville

    I'm with you...my top 10, er, 12, er 14 (5.00 / 1) (#122)
    by Coral on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:35:58 PM EST
    Casablanca
    American in Paris
    Ugetsu
    Rules of the Game
    The Maltese Falcon
    The Wizard of Oz
    Aguirre Wrath of God
    Rabbit Proof Fence
    Lady From Shanghai
    Full Metal Jacket
    400 Blows
    Lacombe Lucien

    plus for comedy and star quality:

    Some Like It Hot
    Philadelphia Story

    Plus, I thought both

    The Piano
    The Pianist

    great films.


    Parent

    On my list of Want To See (I should join Netflix, (5.00 / 1) (#118)
    by jawbone on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:17:06 PM EST
    but I often don't get around to watching movies when I get them home.)

    Has anyone seen Far North, directed by Asif Kapadia and set in really far north, like north of Norway on an Arctic island. Stunning scenery, as shown in trailers.

    But what I'm trying to remember is a film made in the far north of Finland, iirc, about reindeer herders there. I'm sure it earlier than this film. Anyone have any idea?

    Did find this The Fabulous Picture Show, from Al Jazeera English.

    My list (5.00 / 1) (#121)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:32:54 PM EST
    has to include the last Batman (The Dark Knight), at the end of it my husband and I both looked at each other and I said that I thought I wanted to cry but I didn't want it to be over and he said, "Me too".

    Monster's Ball
    The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
    A River Runs Through It
    Goodfellas
    Reservoir Dogs
    Fight Club
    Schindler's List
    The Sixth Sense
    Blade Runner
    The Departed

    Good list. (5.00 / 1) (#153)
    by Salo on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 09:37:35 PM EST
    Reserviour dogs. ;-)

    Parent
    spelling schmelling (none / 0) (#155)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 10:01:33 PM EST


    Parent
    Agree on many, and add (none / 0) (#149)
    by Inspector Gadget on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 09:01:28 PM EST
    They Might Be Giants (George C Scott)
    The Seduction of Joe Tynan (Meryl Streep, Alan Alda)
    Cool Hand Luke
    Blaze (Paul Newman, Lolita Davidovich)
    Jeremiah Johnson
    Absence of Malice
    The Sting

    A River Runs Through It is one I am sure I'll never tire of watching.

    Parent

    I forgot all about my love of (none / 0) (#156)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 10:02:35 PM EST
    Jeremiah Johnson

    Parent
    Oy! Only 10? (5.00 / 1) (#136)
    by squeaky on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 06:24:20 PM EST
    L'âge d'or
    Knife in the Water
    Diary of a Lost Girl
    Pandora's Box
    Berlin Alexanderplatz
    8 1/2
    Breathless
    Alphaville
    Detour
    Eraserhead
    Seven Samurai
    Yojimbo
    For a few Dollars More
    Fistfull of Dollars
    Good Bad & Ugly
    Flesh for Frankenstein
    M
    Touch of Evil
    Rashomon
    Dr Strangelove
    The Conversation
    Get Carter
    Repulsion
    Wings of Desire
    North by Northwest
    Kill Bill
    The Usual Suspects
    Monty Python and the Holy Grail
    Blade Runner
    Chinatown
    Not To Forget (5.00 / 2) (#137)
    by squeaky on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 06:26:25 PM EST
    Young Frankenstein

    Parent
    I-gor! (5.00 / 1) (#138)
    by andgarden on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 06:31:01 PM EST


    Parent
    lol (5.00 / 1) (#139)
    by squeaky on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 06:33:18 PM EST
    Gene Wilder is truly one of the greats...

    Parent
    Also (none / 0) (#172)
    by squeaky on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 02:20:37 AM EST
    Alien, and RoboCop.

    Parent
    Chinatown (5.00 / 1) (#140)
    by jondee on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 06:37:29 PM EST
    Wings of Desire
    Millers Crossing
    La Strada
    Paths of Glory
    Coast Guard Lesbos

    Coast Guard Lesbos??? (none / 0) (#141)
    by squeaky on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 06:43:27 PM EST


    Parent
    An unjustly ingnored (5.00 / 1) (#143)
    by jondee on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 07:02:52 PM EST
    scintillating, avante garde extravaganza with a long time word-of-mouth cult following.

    Parent
    link? (none / 0) (#144)
    by squeaky on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 07:05:18 PM EST


    Parent
    First two are real keepers. (none / 0) (#164)
    by oculus on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 12:17:25 AM EST


    Parent
    Jazz on a Summer's Night (none / 0) (#166)
    by jondee on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 12:25:13 AM EST
    the Return of Martin Guerre
    The Seventh Seal
    Bird
    Manon of the Spring
    One Eyed Jacks
    Barton Fink..

    Parent
    A Face in the Crowd (5.00 / 1) (#167)
    by jondee on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 12:31:54 AM EST


    Parent
    Jazz Films (none / 0) (#170)
    by shoephone on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 01:06:15 AM EST
    -Sweet Love, Bitter

    -Round Midnight

    Parent

    One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest (1975) (5.00 / 1) (#160)
    by kaleidescope on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 11:18:07 PM EST


    Nobody mentioned... (5.00 / 1) (#179)
    by kdog on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 01:06:16 PM EST
    my #1..."The Shawshank Redemption". Come across that bad boy channel surfing and I'm stuck for the duration...what a film.

    Another Tim Robbins jam I'm very fond of is "The Hudsucker Proxy".

    Just watched it (5.00 / 1) (#180)
    by jondee on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 01:27:53 PM EST
    the other day.."You know..for kids!"

    It's like a humorous, surreal dream you'd have after watching too many 40s screwball comedies. In a good way..

    Loved that whole ukelele playing angel bit..while the all-watching-old man and Mr Death duke it out in the clock tower..priceless.

    Parent

    Awesome dialogue.... (5.00 / 1) (#181)
    by kdog on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 01:38:28 PM EST
    Jennifer Jason Leigh steals the show at times with that newsroom 1940ish rapid fire sharp as a tack speaking style.

    Paul Newman kills it too...great stuff.

    Parent

    Sidney Mussberger: (5.00 / 1) (#182)
    by jondee on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 01:45:04 PM EST
    what we need is a dope..a sap.."

    Im gonna guess you liked The Verdict.

    I once watched the Hustler every night for a week. Worst move to watch if you're trying to quit smoking ,I might add.

    Parent

    "The Hustler"... (none / 0) (#183)
    by kdog on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 02:14:33 PM EST
    now you're talking.

    "Is the game over Fats?"

    Don't think I've ever seen "The Verdict", but you reminded me of another top 10'er..."Twelve Angry Men".

    Parent

    Sidney Lumet (none / 0) (#184)
    by squeaky on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 02:17:11 PM EST
    Who directed 12 Angry men, also directed "The Verdict". You would no doubt like it, imo.

    Parent
    If you like (none / 0) (#185)
    by jondee on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 02:39:13 PM EST
    well-written triumph-of-the-underdog stories, you'll love The Verdict.

    My favorite Newman, outside Nobody's Fool.

    Parent

    And Bull Durham -- love that film. (none / 0) (#186)
    by jawbone on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 04:15:46 PM EST


    Parent
    Film musical? What about West Side Story? (5.00 / 1) (#187)
    by jawbone on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 04:18:04 PM EST
    I'd seen it several times, but not for quite awhile. It came on TV, and I was hooked from the first note of the score and the aerial shots of NYC.

    It seemed to fresh; it was astonishing.

    The Unskinkable Molly Brown (none / 0) (#188)
    by Inspector Gadget on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 04:44:50 PM EST


    Parent
    In no particular order (3.00 / 2) (#77)
    by sher on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:18:03 PM EST
    Do the Right Thing
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    Annie Hall
    Network
    West Side Story
    Red Balloon
    Wild Bunch
    La Vie En Rose
    Chinatown
    Cider House Rules

    Network definitely (5.00 / 2) (#113)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:28:41 PM EST
    should be mentioned more often here.

    Another Chayevsky-penned movie, the antiwar or anti-war propaganda The Americanization of Emily, with Julie Andrews and James Garner, gets very high marks, and I find it resonates more with me on a human level than Network.

    Close Encounters I remember seeing at a big first-run movie house on le Champs-Elysées as a youngster (Rencontres du troisième type).  Quite an enjoyable sci-fi flick back then, but my preference in the alien/ufo category is still the classic 50s film from Rbt Wise, The Day the Earth Stood Still.

    Btw, I like your juxtaposition of The Red Balloon and The Wild Bunch ...

    Parent

    I'm not a big movie watcher... (none / 0) (#2)
    by Lora on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 11:52:53 AM EST
    BTW, I like Avatar for Best Picture tonight. Pedestrian story? Sure. Technical achievement was transformational imo.

    I saw Avatar yesterday (never mind how ;-) )

    I was blown away.  Pedestrian story?  Yeah.  But, except for some corny stuff like "unobtanium," remarkably believable.  The characters were real and accessible, even the bad guys.  The aliens were wonderfully alien yet just like us.  I'm not generally impressed with special effects stuff -- I could care less, I care about the story and the characters -- but even I was blown away by the technical stuff.  The world of Pandora was exquisite.

    Think of it this way (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 11:54:42 AM EST
    What will be the most influential and remembered film of 2009?

    Hands down, Avatar.

    Parent

    Cameron always pushes the filmmaking envelope ... (none / 0) (#45)
    by Ellie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:03:53 PM EST
    His storylines are accessible/ romantic / intuitive (I don't mean that in a matronizing way, just that he aims for and successfully hits the gut) but his tech is superb; always ahead of his peers. (Revisit Titanic -- I haven't but you do it :-) -- and then look at something like 300.

    Same for Peter Jackson (eg, the craptastic Frighteners.)

    No Frighteners, No LOTR.

    Parent

    Avatar I consider treacle (none / 0) (#129)
    by Coral on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:46:19 PM EST
    Very pretty, but really bland. I prefer some of the better Bond films for adventure.

    3D, eh. Better than Three Stooges in 3D, which Mr. Coral dragged me to at one time long ago.

    Parent

    Surprised "The Big (none / 0) (#7)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:04:52 PM EST
    Lebowski" didn't make the list.


    Gutterballs! (none / 0) (#8)
    by Salo on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:06:22 PM EST
    That was brilliant. Floating as he twists. Oh....

    Parent
    Ha. Then there is "Blazing Saddles." (5.00 / 2) (#37)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:54:16 PM EST


    Parent
    Avatar will get best picuture (none / 0) (#15)
    by Saul on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:25:50 PM EST
    Hurt Locker  screwed up when producer sent email to have his film picked.

    Even if Hurt Locker was the best film the email fiasco automatically through them out of contention, since if it did get best picture then the controversy in the papers would be they got it because of the emails.

    Best film I ever saw was Lawrence of Arabia.

    To quote Stephen Spielberg on this film:

    Lawrence of Arabia was the first film I saw that made
    me want to be a movie-maker: it was overwhelming.

        -  Steven Spielberg
    Did you see the version of Lawrence of (none / 0) (#25)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:38:52 PM EST
    Arabia with added footage.  Man that was a long movie.

    Parent
    Yes I did and yes it was! (none / 0) (#28)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:40:41 PM EST


    Parent
    Dr Zhivago (none / 0) (#169)
    by jondee on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 01:02:08 AM EST
    is as least as good as Lawrence, imo, but it seems to have practically fallen off a lot of people's radar.

    "It's a gift.." That Alec Guiness line chokes me up every time.

    Funny story concerning the Lawrence era Peter O'Toole, the rather flamboyant Noel Coward supposedly said of O'Toole: "He's so pretty, the should call it 'Florence of Arabia'"

    Parent

    An amazing soundtrack (none / 0) (#147)
    by samtaylor2 on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 08:12:32 PM EST
    Lawrence of Arabia + star wars are 2 movies everyone should own the soundtrack.

    Parent
    I hope for at least one Oscar surprise (none / 0) (#24)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:37:39 PM EST
    Seems like the favorites are locked in this year - Avatar, Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock.  I'd love to see Meryl Streep win, or one of the other movies sneak in and beat Avatar, though as far as a cinematic achievement, it probably deserves to win.

    I don't think Meryl Streep should win for (none / 0) (#30)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:44:51 PM EST
    "It's Complicated."  I do think she is a wonderful actress and probably should have won for "Out of Africa."

    Parent
    She's up for 'Julia and Julia' (none / 0) (#35)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:52:17 PM EST
    Agree about Out of Africa - just looked it up and see she got beat by Geraldine Page in 'Trip to Bountiful'. That was good, but I think if people had thought Meryl Streep would get beat every other year after that too, they might have given it to her then!

    Parent
    oops - Julie & Julia of course. (none / 0) (#36)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:53:00 PM EST


    Parent
    "Trip to Bountiful" was a memorable (none / 0) (#39)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 12:56:20 PM EST
    movie.  Last summer I saw a "Stone Angel" while on a flight.  Reminiscent of "Trip to Bountiful."

    Parent
    I feel she is after Hepburn record (none / 0) (#46)
    by Saul on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:06:15 PM EST
    She has surpassed Hepburn in most Oscar nominations but Hepburn has 4 Oscars for best actress.  I think Meryl has only two so far.

    Parent
    Yep - (none / 0) (#50)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:11:12 PM EST
    probably a lifetime achievement award in her future, but I hope not too soon.

    Parent
    Streep was good (none / 0) (#42)
    by Lora on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:00:17 PM EST
    ...in It's Complicated, but then she's good in anything she does.  It's Complicated wasn't that much of a movie for her to show all that she can do.

    Parent
    No, that was a fun movie (none / 0) (#49)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:09:54 PM EST
    but not one requiring someone of her skills. You can easily see any of a dozen actresses in that role, so I can see why she did not get a nomination for that part. But she does not play a lot of sexy romantic leading ladies, so it was fun to see her in that role.

    Parent
    Movie was funny but I don't think (none / 0) (#62)
    by oculus on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:42:40 PM EST
    Streep plays "silly" with conviction.

    Parent
    The giggling is a little much (5.00 / 1) (#67)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:51:48 PM EST
    From all accounts she is a light-hearted person in real life, so I don't know if is a lack of conviction. Did you read this article on her on Salon? Pretty much sums up my thoughts too - I love her, affected mannerisms and all!

    Parent
    I don't (none / 0) (#83)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 02:46:07 PM EST
    know. Maybe you disagree but I couldnt get over Streep in Mama Mia. She just didnt work in that role. I loved her in Julie and Julia though. She because Julia Child. You forgot it was Meryl Streep when watching the picture.

    Parent
    I liked her in Mamma Mia (5.00 / 2) (#119)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:26:51 PM EST
    Go figure!  Couple of scenes I didn't care for, but I wouldn't have liked them no matter who was in them.

    Parent
    Movies I watched more than once (that haven't (none / 0) (#65)
    by ding7777 on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 01:49:04 PM EST
    been mentioned above)

    Tombstone (with Kurt Russel)

    Angels in America

    Pirates of the Caribbean: Black Pearl

    Steel Magnolias

    Fried Green Tomatoes

    More than once (none / 0) (#174)
    by Rojas on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 06:55:04 AM EST
    Breakfast Club
    A Love Song for Bobby Long

    Parent
    I was so busy I missed this post! (none / 0) (#87)
    by andgarden on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 03:14:24 PM EST
    Notable omissions from your list:

    Lawrence of Arabia, Goldfinger, Vertigo (and/or North by Northwest), and a few others that don't come to mind this instant, but nevertheless belong.

    I saw Avatar a couple of weeks ago in IMax. I found it to be too long and a sensory overload. But it was remarkable.

    I've tried watching (5.00 / 1) (#99)
    by brodie on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:06:41 PM EST
    Larry of Arabbia on teevee several times, but just can't make it all the way through.  (And, no, this is not some ADD issue, since I've sat through all of Ophuls' 4.5 hr The Sorrow and the Pity and the entire 9 hours of Lanzmann's Shoah.)  Funny that -- Lean's Bridge on the Kwai, another big-sized film, I've only seen on teevee and immensely enjoyed each time.  Go figure.

    Vertigo is visually appealing with an intriguing story line, but the lead actress doesn't do it for me, and even Mr Everyman Jimmy Stewart, and the delightful Barbara Bel Geddes, can't quite warm up this rather chilly Hitch film.

    Parent

    LoA is hardly ever possible (none / 0) (#100)
    by andgarden on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:11:19 PM EST
    to see properly: on the big screen, preferably from a 65mm print.

    Vertigo is a masterpiece, but only intermittently entertaining. That's why NxNW slots alongside for me.

    Parent

    For the fun of it: The Mouse That Roared... (none / 0) (#103)
    by jawbone on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:12:56 PM EST
    Lots of movies I can't stand to watch unless I get in at the beginning of any action. But, Hunt for Red October and The Three Days of the Condor rivet me.

    A newer film like that is Enemy of the State.

    From earlier days, I still remember the effect State of Siege had on me. I kept thinking it couldn't be based on fact...and learned it had stong basis. Beginning of realizing what our government is capable of doing. Yves Montand and Costas Gavras together = good. I think I saw Z first.

    Peter Sellers (5.00 / 1) (#105)
    by andgarden on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:13:50 PM EST
    has a way of dominating these kinds of lists--deservedly.

    I was also thinking of Being There.

    Parent

    one of my favorites (n/t) (none / 0) (#128)
    by sher on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 05:46:05 PM EST


    Parent
    And these are films I can watch over and over (none / 0) (#106)
    by bridget on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:15:14 PM EST
    Dirty Dancing

    Star Man (Jeff Bridges was a fabulous Star Man)

    Out of Africa

    Men in Black I

    Postcards from the Edge

    Excess Baggage

    Butterflies are Free

    The Samurai Trilogy (Toshiro Mifune, of course)

    Foul Play

    Seems Like Old Times

    Moonstruck

    Valley Girl

    Pride and Prejudice (the Colin Firth version)

    (ok. I better stop  ;-)

    Nothing since 1977? (none / 0) (#108)
    by pluege on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 04:15:27 PM EST
    curmudgeon alert!

    My list, at least for today, (none / 0) (#145)
    by caseyOR on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 07:20:11 PM EST
    In no particular order:

    - The Year of Living Dangerously. great political thriller; amazing performance by Linda Hunt

    -Z. another political thriller; my fave by Costa-Gavras

    • The Grifters

    • Bridge on the River Kwai

    -Chinatown.  but never The Two Jakes

    -Out of Africa

    -Tootsie

    -Godfather I & II

    • Nashville. Still my fave Altman movie

    • Raising Arizona. for my money, the funniest Coen Bros. movie ever.

    -Lone Star. the amazing John Sayles

    - Passion Fish. Sayles again.

    I really love The Grifters too (5.00 / 1) (#148)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 08:14:47 PM EST
    I'm always sucked into Angelica Houston characters, don't know why.  John Cusack and Annette Bening were flawless too.  The storyline was threateningly creepy and believable.

    Parent
    Ohhhhh (none / 0) (#150)
    by Inspector Gadget on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 09:05:49 PM EST
    Enemy's A Love Story
    My Left Foot
    The Unbearable Lightness of Being
    Sex Lies and Videotape


    Parent
    Being John Makovich. (none / 0) (#165)
    by oculus on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 12:19:26 AM EST


    Parent
    Excellent! (none / 0) (#168)
    by shoephone on Mon Mar 08, 2010 at 12:59:32 AM EST
    And, for that matter, The Orchid Thief.

    Parent
    Oy, now Joshua has said that (none / 0) (#151)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 09:11:20 PM EST
    having Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin in the same room is a terrible thing.  And I think most horses would agree.

    Donald, you nailed it (none / 0) (#157)
    by shoephone on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 11:06:43 PM EST
    I can't find a thing to quibble with.

    Best Comedy (none / 0) (#161)
    by kaleidescope on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 11:19:43 PM EST
    Miracle at Morgan's Creek/Hail the Conquering Hero

    Perhaps so (none / 0) (#162)
    by ruffian on Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 11:30:05 PM EST
    But on the other hand, I never trust statements like 'that would never happen' when it comes to war. To take just one example, nothing in the whole scenario about Patrick Tillman's death and the aftermath should have ever happened, but it did.  Anything can happen.

    I haven't seen a ton of movies (none / 0) (#190)
    by CST on Tue Mar 09, 2010 at 10:47:45 AM EST
    but here's "a" list of personal favorites, in no particular order:

    • Shawshank Redemption

    • Chinatown

    • Sound of Music

    • Life is Beautiful

    • Snatch

    • The Way we Were

    • Robin Hood Men in Tights

    • Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth)

    • Big Lebowski

    • Bandits (not the one with Billy Bob, the German chick flick about a band that breaks out of prison)


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