Board 8 > The SephG Top 250 [movies] - Topic II: the top 75

(+) Yeah! (+)

#250-#11
250. The Last Waltz (1978)
249. Freaks (1932)
248. Superbad (2007)
247. Good Time (2017)
246. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
245. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
244. The Fifth Element (1997)
243. The Thing (1982)
242. The Apartment (1960)
241. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
240. The Sandlot (1993)
239. O.J.: Made in America (2016)
238. Total Recall (1990)
237. Clerks (1994)
236. Logan (2017)
235. Sling Blade (1996)
234. 28 Days Later (2002)
233. Team America: World Police (2004)
232. 25th Hour (2002)
231. Let the Right One In (2008)
230. Her (2013)
229. Beetlejuice (1988)
228. Inglorious Basterds (2008)
227. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
226. Blue Velvet (1986)
225. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
224. Zodiac (2007)
223. The Ten Commandments (1956)
222. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
221. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
220. Ghostbusters (1984)
219. 12 Angry Men (1957)
218. Happy Gilmore (1996)
217. Incendies (2010)
216. Training Day (2001)
215. Princess Mononoke (1997)
214. John Wick (2014)
213. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
212. Animal House (1978)
211. Gladiator (2000)
210. Gravity (2013)
209. Gremlins (1984)
208. Almost Famous (2000)
207. JFK (1991)
206. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
205. Sin City (2005)
204. Inception (2010)
203. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
202. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
201. The Goonies (1985)
200. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
199. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
198. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
197. Dunkirk (2017)
196. The Dark Knight Rises (2013)
195. Boogie Nights (1997)
194. Traffic (2000)
193. Dark City (1998)
192. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
191. The Wrestler (2008)
190. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
189. Lethal Weapon (1987)
188. The Big Lebowski (1998)
187. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
186. Zoolander (2001)
185. The Last Picture Show (1971)
184. Drive (2011)
183. Boyz n the Hood (1991)
182. The Conversation (1974)
181. Jaws (1975)
180. The Sixth Sense (1999)
179. In the Mood for Love (2000)
178. Blowup (1966)
177. Life Is Beautiful (1997)
176. Mean Streets (1973)
175. Call Me by Your Name (2017)
174. Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
173. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
172. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
171. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
170. Perfect Blue (1997)
169. A History of Violence (2005)
168. Planet of the Apes (1968)
167. The Aviator (2004)
166. Deliverance (1972)
165. North by Northwest (1959)
164. M (1931) - The greatest German movie ever made
163. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
162. Toy Story (1995)
161. Children of Men (2006)
160. Halloween (1978)
159. The Deer Hunter (1978)
158. Skyfall (2012)
157. Rushmore (1998)
156. The Dark Knight (2007)
155. Dumb and Dumber (1994)
154. The Thin Blue Line (1988)
153. It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
152. Juno (2007)
151. Joe Dirt (2001)
150. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
149. Isle of Dogs (2018)
148. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
147. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
146. Some Like It Hot (1959)
145. Get Out (2017)
144. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
143. Paris, Texas (1984)
142. The 39 Steps (1935)
141. Hugo (2011)
140. Trainspotting (1996)
139. Before Sunrise (1995)
138. Patton (1970)
137. Days of Heaven (1978)
136. Paterson (2016)
135. Up (2009)
134. Gone with the Wind (1939)
133. The Producers (1967)
132. High Noon (1952)
131. A Ghost Story (2017)
130. Sal, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)
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129. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
128. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
127. American Graffiti (1973)
126. RoboCop (1987)
125. Unbreakable (2000)
124. Eraserhead (1977)
123. Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
122. Waking Life (2001)
121. Django Unchained (2012)
120. Roma (2018)
119. The French Connection (1971)
118. The Matrix (1999)
117. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
116. Enemy (2013)
115. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) - The greatest superhero movie ever made
114. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
113. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
112. Fight Club (1999)
111. Forrest Gump (1994)
110. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
109. The Favourite (2018)
108. Pi (1998)
107. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
106. American Beauty (1999)
105. The Exorcist (1973)
104. Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (1988)
103. All About Eve (1950)
102. Coco (2017)
101. Midnight in Paris (2011)
100. Breathless (1960)
99. Life of Pi (2012)
98. Vertigo (1958)
97. Alien (1979)
96. Barton Fink (1991)
95. The Man from Earth (2007)
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
93. Akira (1988)
92. Office Space (1999)
91. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
90. Jackie Brown (1997)
89. Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)
88. Memento (2000)
87. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
86. Lost in Translation (2003)
85. Holy Motors (2012)
84. Moonlight (2016)
83. Fallen Angels (1995)
82. Melancholia (2011)
81. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
80. Die Hard (1988)
79. Psycho (1960)
78. The Departed (2006) - The greatest remake ever made
77. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
76. The Shining (1980) - The greatest horror movie ever made
75. On the Waterfront (1954)
74. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
73. Toy Story 3 (2010)
72. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
71. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - The greatest Australian movie ever made
70. Dazed and Confused (1993)
69. Jurassic Park (1993)
68. Y Tu Mam Tambin (2001)
67. Network (1976)
66. Brazil (1985)
65. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
64. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
63. Chinatown (1974)
62. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) - The greatest Canadian movie ever made
61. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
60. The Third Man (1949)
59. Breaking Away (1979)
58. The 400 Blows (1959) - The greatest French movie ever made
57. The Little Mermaid (1989)
56. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) - The greatest western ever made
55. The Tree of Life (2011)
54. The Battle of Algiers (1966)
53. No Country for Old Men (2007)
52. Whiplash (2014)
51. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
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50. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
49. The Social Network (2010)
48. The Lion King (1994)
47. Bicycle Thieves (1948)
46. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
45. Annie Hall (1977)
44. Amadeus (1984)
43. Aladdin (1992)
42. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
41. Back to the Future (1985)
40. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) - The greatest African movie ever made
39. The Thin Red Line (1998)
38. City Lights (1931) - The greatest silent movie ever made; the greatest movie of the 1930s
37. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
36. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
35. Rashmon (1950)
34. Rocky (1976)
33. Fantasia (1940)
32. Schindler's List (1993)
31. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
30. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
29. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
28. City of God (2002) - The greatest Latin American movie ever made
27. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) - The greatest animated movie ever made; the greatest musical ever made
26. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - The greatest action movie ever made
25. Fargo (1996)
24. Raging Bull (1980) - The greatest movie of the 1980s
23. Persona (1966)
22. The Graduate (1967) - The greatest comedy ever made
21. Goodfellas (1990)
20. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
19. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
18. Taxi Driver (1976)
17. There Will Be Blood (2007)
16. The Godfather: Part II (1974) - The greatest sequel ever made
15. Casablanca (1942)
14. The Seventh Seal (1957) - The greatest fantasy movie ever made; the greatest Swedish movie ever made
13. Seven Samurai (1954) - The greatest adventure movie ever made; the greatest Japanese movie ever made; the greatest movie of the 1950s
12. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
11. Boyhood (2014) - The greatest movie of the 2010s
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Do you prefer we message you our guesses or just post them here?
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Post em
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Spoilers for the top 10

Citizen Kane
8 1/2
2001: A Space Odyssey
A Clockwork Orange
The Godfather
Apocalypse Now
Chungking Express
Hoop Dreams
Pulp Fiction
Mulholland Drive

I put a lot of thought into those picks, Im super confident in six of them. One of my 60s picks, the 70s one I asked about and two of the 90s ones being the main sources of uncertainty
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Citizen Kane
8 1/2
2001: A Space Odyssey
A Clockwork Orange
The Godfather
Apocalypse Now
Chungking Express
Hoop Dreams
Pulp Fiction
Mulholland Drive

QED
Edit: lol

Second one is my biggest puzzler. Could be one of two different films.
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Not in rank order:

Citizen Kane
8
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Godfather
Barry Lyndon
Apocalypse Now
Chungking Express
Hoop Dreams
Pulp Fiction
Mulholland Drive

One of the 1970s and two of the 1990s movies are the ones I'm unsure about.
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I was able to select nine confidently, but I had to cheat and look at everyone's guesses to get the last one, which should have been obvious, so I'm going to take it a step further and try to guess the order.

10. A Clockwork Orange
Mulholland Drive
Chungking Express
8 1/2
The Godfather
2001: A Space Odyssey
Pulp Fiction
Apocalypse Now
Citizen Kane
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First Blood pt 2 (probably will pick First Blood because it's a better "film")
A Christmas Story
Missing in Action 2

and 7 other movies
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hmm...

movies that are guaranteed to be in the top 10: the godfather, mulholland drive

i'd be VERY surprised if these are not in the top 10: citizen kane, 2001: a space odyssey, apocalypse now, pulp fiction

not sure about the other four, but i expect there to be a few oddball sephy choices.
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Space Jam
Starship Troopers
Like Mike
Air Bud
Bend it like Beckham
Lizzie McGuire movie
Spice world
Little Nicky
Waterboy
Revenge of the Sith
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I really do need to watch Seven Samurai.
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RPGlord95 posted...

Space Jam
Starship Troopers
Like Mike
Air Bud
Bend it like Beckham
Lizzie McGuire movie
Spice world
Little Nicky
Waterboy
Revenge of the Sith

Damn. Is it too late to change my list??

I would replace Revenge of the Sith with Attack of the Clones, obviously. But still.
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Keep em coming

Not sure I'll be able to start this until next week :(
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Menji that's only 9
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Updated! Gonna think about it more this weekend, I feel like that was too easy. There's gotta be something else.

10. A Clockwork Orange
Mulholland Drive
Chungking Express
8 1/2
The Godfather
2001: A Space Odyssey
Pulp Fiction
Apocalypse Now
Hoop Dreams
Citizen Kane
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Well it looks like a few have the same predictions, so I better clarify that the prize goes to the first person to post the correct list!
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#10. Apocalypse Now
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c2/Apocalypse_Now_poster.jpg
Dir: Francis Ford Coppola
Genre: War
Year: 1979

SephG Superlative: The greatest war movie ever made

Few films truly embody the emotions of the stories they are portraying as much as Apocalypse Now. The tribulations the cast and production crew had to endure to film FFC's war epic is well-documented. Marlin Brando was method acting to the point where people didn't know if he was actually crazy or not (he was), people were getting malaria in the hot Philippine jungles, Martin Sheen was having a fucking heart attack (!!). The realities of the production began to blend with the surreality of the film itself, and you can just feel the madness seeping through.

The trippiness of Apocalypse Now isn't there from the onset. It's a slow build that really echoes the descent into madness that the riverboat crew faces--and an obvious but powerful metaphor for the Vietnam War's effect on the country at large. The fact that you don't dive right into it creates this perfect crescendo where, just as you start to feel fully immersed, the characters become literally immersed in the heart of darkness upon meeting the elusive Colonel Kurtz. The final act of the film may be the most intense, mesmerizing sequence ever put to film--and it's a must-watch for any fan of the genre.

P.S. I would like to recommend watching the Redux version, but I can't really compare it to the original (not sure if I have even seen the theatrical release). Happy to hear your thoughts about the different cuts.
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I always forget which version I saw. I'm pretty sure it was the original theatrical release.
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I liked Redux, I wish they cut out the French stuff and the playmates but kept the other additions and edits and left the bigger new material as bonus material. The French stuff at least has a point.. it's just not meant to be in that movie imo.
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and if you aren't aware of Final Cut, I'd take a look into it. It's out August 27.
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Oh yeah i definitely only saw the theatrical release. I remember looking up the scenes that i didn't see
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#9. 8
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/46/8Mezzo.jpg
Dir: Federico Fellini
Genre: Drama
Year: 1963

SephG Superlative: The greatest Italian movie ever made

Easily the greatest movie about making a movie of all time, 8 feels so incredibly intimate, honest, and personal. I generally sour on films that are so transparently about their own directors, but this is the one exception. I think what makes this quasi-autobiography so special is the fact that Fellini isn't just giving us a day in his life, but rather he is clearly wrestling with his own issues--artistic integrity, personal regrets, morality--and the film is a glimpse into his own consciousness.

8 is a dreamlike meditation on all of the things that you'd expect to ail an international superstar filmmaker. The women in his life come and go, yet there was always that one that he cannot seem to escape. He portrays his struggle between creating fine art and something commercially viable, wondering what the point of it all is. This struggle is telegraphed brilliantly by Marcello Mastroianni, who is just about the coolest dude you could possibly pick to portray yourself (good job, Fellini). And the absurdism, the imagination, and the surreal quality of the ending is just the perfect reflection of the inner machinations of one of cinema's most genius minds.
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Almost forgot! Time for another list:

The Top 10 war movies ever made
1. Apocalypse Now (1979)
2. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
3. Schindler's List
4. The Thin Red Line (1998)
5. The Battle of Algiers (1966)
6. Patton (1970)
7. The Deer Hunter (1978)
8. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
9. Dunkirk (2017)
10. Inglorious Basterds (2008)

Italicized the ones that I wouldn't necessarily classify as "war" movies, but one could make the argument nonetheless.
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Both top 10 reveals so far are masterpieces.

Debated a while between 8 and La Dolce Vita.
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I haven't seen enough Fellini. Really need to watch that and la Strada at some point.
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Up - some 90s big hitters next
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Nelson_Mandela posted...

Almost forgot! Time for another list:

The Top 10 war movies ever made
1. Apocalypse Now (1979)
2. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
3. Schindler's List
4. The Thin Red Line (1998)
5. The Battle of Algiers (1966)
6. Patton (1970)
7. The Deer Hunter (1978)
8. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
9. Dunkirk (2017)
10. Inglorious Basterds (2008)

Italicized the ones that I wouldn't necessarily classify as "war" movies, but one could make the argument nonetheless.

Did you only consider movies with guns a war movie?
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RPGlord95 posted...

Space Jam
Starship Troopers
Like Mike
Air Bud
Bend it like Beckham
Lizzie McGuire movie
Spice world
Little Nicky
Waterboy
Revenge of the Sith

Space Jam Starship Troopers and Lizzie McGuire Movie (likely RotS) would have made my list of top 250 movies easily.
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Which non-gun war movie are you thinking of? The only one that immediately comes to mind is 300.
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CaptainOfCrush posted...

Which non-gun war movie are you thinking of? The only one that immediately comes to mind is 300.

Braveheart?
Kingdom of Heaven?
Alexander
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8 1/2 is a damn good pick for the top ten. Honestly, I think it's the only Fellini I've seen to date, but it still left a big impact on me.
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Oh yeah, didn't think of Braveheart. Honestly never liked it.

As for the remaining few, SephG seems to like David Lynch (or Twin Peaks anyway), so The Elephant Man would have been my surprise guess, but that's an 80s movie and that decade is wrapped up. Still definitely worth a watch imo.
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I think you are the first person to ever tell me they didn't like braveheart. Ever.
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Corrik7 posted...

CaptainOfCrush posted...

Which non-gun war movie are you thinking of? The only one that immediately comes to mind is 300.

Braveheart?
Kingdom of Heaven?
Alexander

Braveheart is close.

It seems I am a World War II stan (even though WWI is probably my favorite war from a story perspective).
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Nelson_Mandela posted...

It seems I am a World War II stan (even though WWI is probably my favorite war from a story perspective).

Ctrl + F "Paths of Glory"

Well ok then.
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Seen 127/242

I think I've seen more highly regarded cinema than most, but I should tone back on the addictive YouTube crawls and try to watch more (because cinema snob is the best type of snob).
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TomNook posted...

Ctrl + F "Paths of Glory"

Well ok then.

i'm planning on posting a list of notable snubs when the list is done but yeah, this is definitely one.
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I've shamefully never seen paths of glory.

Having a wife who doesn't like war movies has really encumbered my catch up process :(
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paths of glory is amazing. approaches the concept of a "war movie" in a totally unique way.
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Nelson_Mandela posted...

I've shamefully never seen paths of glory

It's better knowing you haven't seen it at least. It's my personal favorite Kubrick movie and favorite war movie.
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It's also the only major Kubrick film I haven't seen. Probably in my top 3 need to watch movies, actually.
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Wait does this mean you are skipping Rambo and Missing and Action or just not counting those as war movies?
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Haha I genuinely do love first blood part II
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Another great movie from 1994 (that I assume is not on your list) is Quiz Show.
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More this evening or tomorrow
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#8. Chungking Express
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/Chungking_Express.jpg
Dir: Wong Kar-wai
Genre: Drama, Romance
Year: 1994

SephG Superlative: The greatest Hong Kong/Chinese movie ever; the greatest Asian movie ever; the greatest non-English speaking movie ever

Chungking Express is the most recent film in the top tier for my own personal viewing, having watched it about two (?) years ago on Filmstruck (RIP). Needless to say that I immediately shelled out like a hundred bucks for the Criterion release on DVD because I needed to ensure that I could watch it over and over. And I am glad I did.

There are two parts to Chungking Express that each work to make this movie special in their own unique way. The first part is flashy, fast, film noir that evolves into a peculiar "love" story of sorts. If you were like me, knowing little about the film before viewing it, you'd assume that Chungking Express was a crime drama. But in the loveliest WKW fashion, this is merely an entree into his favorite kind of character--tired, lost, lovelorn people living out their loneliness in the densest city on the planet. My favorite aspect of the first story is Takeshi Kaneshiro's sullen police officer, whose melodramatic monologues are equally funny and poetic. Pay attention to every single word in this part--the call-backs and repetition in language (and its delivery) are almost Nabokovian in their brilliance.

The second part seems to be what everyone remembers about this movie. "California Dreamin.'" The Cantonese version of "Dreams." Brigitte Lin essentially inventing the hipster girl look 15 years before Brooklyn cemented it into our culture. It's been a long time since anything has made me as happy as the latter half of Chungking Express. It's incredibly charming without succumbing to any of the annoying rom-com tropes that never cease to bother me. It's spectacularly fulfilling without coming off too neat. It's Wong Kar-wai and 90s cinema at their finest, and required viewing for anyone who likes a good romance.

Worth the $100 and more.
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#7. Pulp Fiction
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/Pulp_Fiction_%281994%29_poster.jpg
Dir: Quentin Tarantino
Genre: Drama, Crime, Comedy
Year: 1994

I debated putting this one so high on The List. There are other movies on here that are so universally acclaimed that it's almost hackneyed to put them on here--but nothing to the extent of Pulp Fiction. Critics love it, film buffs love it. People my age love it. But, most annoyingly, the Internet really loves it. But you know what? Fuck it. This movie deserves every single iota of praise it gets.

Quentin Tarantino kicked Hollywood down a completely new path with this movie. Comedies became darker, crime movies became funnier, and it seemed like every studio tried to copy the quick, sharp ensemble nature of Pulp Fiction that still persists to this day. And for a while, it worked. Even the clones that managed to capture one-tenth of the spirit of the movie were pretty great, which just goes to show you how amazing Pulp Fiction really was.

I don't need to explain much more about the movie. Everyone here has seen it (please raise your hand if you haven't!). It balances all of the diverse elements of the story perfectly, creating a blend that doesn't feel at all disjointed, but rather a collection of different plots with their own individual tones that all complement one another. Not a single scene feels excessive and nothing feels unfinished. We all have our favorite segment (mine is "The Watch" flashback)--and that's the beauty of this film. It has something for everyone, for any mood, and can keep you coming back to look for something new every time. Tarantino has never been better.
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#6. 2001: A Space Odyssey
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/2001_A_Space_Odyssey_%281968%29.png
Dir: Stanley Kubrick
Genre: Science Fiction
Year: 1968

SephG Superlative: The greatest science fiction movie ever made; the greatest movie of the 1960s

I would argue that 2001 is the greatest achievement in all of cinema. (Note that this doesn't necessarily mean it's the greatest movie, full stop, but it doesn't hurt its chances). And I mean that on two levels: a technical achievement and an artist achievement. I am still in complete wonder whenever I watch this movie. It looks better and more realistic (the space portions at least) than any sci-fi movie in the fifty years since it was released. That the special effects are accomplished without the use of CGI is astonishing--and I bet you that you could take the top guys in the industry today and challenge them to recreate the movie scene by scene, and all would fail. That is why Kubrick is the undisputed G.O.A.T.

From an artistic point of view, 2001 is a prime example of why subtext can be more powerful than blatant explicit storytelling. There is endless speculation about what 2001 really means--yet, there are also some general areas that most people seem to get. And that's the beauty of it all. Most people can take something from the lofty visual/auditory metaphors, but those who want to dig deeper can debate the rest of the allegory forever. It's something that continues to challenge me personally, and remains one of the most "mature" movies that only grows deeper the older I get. And that's something that is hard to say about most other movies I first experienced as a teen.
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