PF's favorite movies poll - nominations

[pinball1970]

The fixed length prevents people from simply posting everything they like. Narrowing your faves to only 20 forces you to think about what ones merely belong and what ones absolutely must be there, making for a better

• 'signal-to-noise ratio' or
• 'survival of the fittest' or
• 'if I can only have 20 on my deserted island'

list of our individual all-time classics.
'better' is not the ask. The ask is simply '20 in any order you see fit'.

So don't choose between Casablanca and MIB. Put them both on - and bump the bottom one off your list.

Yes desert island came into it for me.
Then decades, actors, genres and films that I happen to recall at the time.
Casablanca top trumps all of films but I did not think of it.
My poor memory should not be a criterion.
ALL films need to be reviewed. ALL of them.
@DaveC426913
Over to you.
Casablanca is a better film than kill Bill and deserves to in the top 20 that humanity takes to the next generation.
Yes?
Do we need some scoring system?

 

[pinball1970]

Yes desert island came into it for me.
Then decades, actors, genres and films that I happen to recall at the time.
Casablanca top trumps all of films but I did not think of it.
My poor memory should not be a criterion.
ALL films need to be reviewed. ALL of them.
@DaveC426913
Over to you.
Casablanca is a better film than kill Bill and deserves to in the top 20 that humanity takes to the next generation.
Yes?
Do we need some scoring system?

No. This is a emotional thing. First 20 has value.

 

[DennisN]

I always find distinctly lacking Internet things where people are invited to list their preferences with just lists, no motivations or arguments. Anyway I'll play by the rules and just add minimal notes for some films that are probably not very widely known, and grouped a bit for genre.

That's welcome, no problem. The reason I asked for lists of favorite movies was because my plan was to put all nominations into an excel sheet and then sort them alphabetically in order to more easily count the number of nominations for each movie.

(note: I read epenguin's post without reading the nominations)

You know what would be cool? A Venn diagram of all our choices.
There are several contributors here with which I would have virtually zero overlap.

Or maybe some other visualization that's more scalable than a Venn (which will get pretty hairy after about 6 people.)

That is a great idea! I'll see what I can do after all nominations have been posted. Maybe I'll go 3D with the Venn diagram idea .

Edit: I decided to post my list here a while ago even though I said I would be the last to do so, and then I changed my mind and deleted the post. I will post my nominations last .

 

[DaveC426913]

Casablanca is a better film than kill Bill and deserves to in the top 20 that humanity takes to the next generation.
Yes?

So, you highlight another nuance of this topic:

The ask was actually "favorite" - not "better" and not "carried to the next generation".

Those are perfectly good criteria - they're just not my criteria.

For me, it's easy how I define it.

If
- it comes on TV spontaneously, and
- I have watch just this scene, because it's the best, and
- OK, this scene too, and
- just this next one too, and
- suddenly the end credits are rolling

then it's on my favorite list.

There are about 20 movies I cannot flip past.

 

[Bystander]

about 20 movies I cannot flip past.

Only twenty?

 

[DennisN]

So, you highlight another nuance of this topic:
The ask was actually "favorite" - not "better"

Yes, that was exactly my intention, and maybe I should have been more descriptive about that.

To everybody:

My intention was for participants (nominators) to list your favorite movies (primarily), not the movies you consider the best (there could of course be overlapping here, since some of your favorite movies may also be among those you consider to be the best ones).

The reason is that my objective with the upcoming poll is to get a list of the most liked movies among PF members. And thus the final poll result will mainly reflect movie popularity and not (necessarily) esthetic value.

And if anyone wants to change the nominations due to this or anything else, feel free to do so.
Just post a new nominations post here in the thread and write e.g. "Updated nominations:" first in the post.

 

[epenguin]

I won't change anything in my list for the moment, it has a sort of balance. But I thought of a few oustanding films maybe forgotten, not mentioned by anyone yet that I could see, but that somebody like might like to be reminded of :

High Noon
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers
The Hill
King Solomon's Mines
Small Time Crooks

 

[pinball1970]

Yes, that was exactly my intention, and maybe I should have been more descriptive about that.

To everybody:

My intention was for participants (nominators) to list your favorite movies (primarily), not the movies you consider the best (there could of course be overlapping here, since some of your favorite movies may also be among those you consider to be the best ones).

The reason is that my objective with the upcoming poll is to get a list of the most liked movies among PF members. And thus the final poll result will mainly reflect movie popularity and not (necessarily) esthetic value.

And if anyone wants to change the nominations due to this or anything else, feel free to do so.
Just post a new nominations post here in the thread and write e.g. "Updated nominations:" first in the post.

I think I'll stick with mine and curse my bad memory.
Rambo first blood is one that I should not have forgotten but I will have to live with it.

 

[DEvens]

What about favorite movie about a physics hero. _Infinity_ is about Richard Feynman up to just after WWII.

Spoiler: Brief Description of Movie with Spoilers

The movie deals with his experiences just before being on the bomb project to just after.

There are many of the beloved stories form _Surely you Must Be Joking_ and _What do You Care What Other People Think?_, the two books of anecdotes Feynman published. Such as going out through a hole in the fence, then in through the front gate, then out through the hole and in through the gate, again and again until somebody noticed. Or getting a double-dorm room to himself by putting his wife's bathroom stuff and nightgown out on the other bunk, scandalizing the cleaning staff. And, of course, "safe cracking."

On of the more emotional parts is, of course, his wife's illness. She was in a sanatorium not very far from Los Alamos, trying to cope. They would send letters with little codes to challenge each other, and that was not allowed in a war-time weapons lab. So they both but most especially she chaffed under this requirement.

There were also many little stories about his efforts to manage the trip between the lab and the sanatorium. Borrowing cars, sharing rides with other people from the lab, etc. And dodging some trouble when one of the people he caught a ride with was Klaus Fuchs.

When she died, Feynman repressed the emotion because he was deep in the most intense part of the bomb project. We get to watch with him as the Trinity test goes off. He managed to hold it in until months later when he was walking down a street and saw a dress in a shop window, and happened to think how much his wife would like that dress. And then he lost it.

 

[pinball1970]

What about favorite movie about a physics hero. _Infinity_ is about Richard Feynman up to just after WWII.

Spoiler: Brief Description of Movie with Spoilers

The movie deals with his experiences just before being on the bomb project to just after.

There are many of the beloved stories form _Surely you Must Be Joking_ and _What do You Care What Other People Think?_, the two books of anecdotes Feynman published. Such as going out through a hole in the fence, then in through the front gate, then out through the hole and in through the gate, again and again until somebody noticed. Or getting a double-dorm room to himself by putting his wife's bathroom stuff and nightgown out on the other bunk, scandalizing the cleaning staff. And, of course, "safe cracking."

On of the more emotional parts is, of course, his wife's illness. She was in a sanatorium not very far from Los Alamos, trying to cope. They would send letters with little codes to challenge each other, and that was not allowed in a war-time weapons lab. So they both but most especially she chaffed under this requirement.

There were also many little stories about his efforts to manage the trip between the lab and the sanatorium. Borrowing cars, sharing rides with other people from the lab, etc. And dodging some trouble when one of the people he caught a ride with was Klaus Fuchs.

When she died, Feynman repressed the emotion because he was deep in the most intense part of the bomb project. We get to watch with him as the Trinity test goes off. He managed to hold it in until months later when he was walking down a street and saw a dress in a shop window, and happened to think how much his wife would like that dress. And then he lost it.

That's on another thread, I can't remember which though.
I watched it recently, it's not focused on the physics that much but it's still good.

 

[epenguin]

What about favorite movie about a physics hero. _Infinity_ is about Richard Feynman up to just after WWII.

Spoiler: Brief Description of Movie with Spoilers

The movie deals with his experiences just before being on the bomb project to just after.

There are many of the beloved stories form _Surely you Must Be Joking_ and _What do You Care What Other People Think?_, the two books of anecdotes Feynman published. Such as going out through a hole in the fence, then in through the front gate, then out through the hole and in through the gate, again and again until somebody noticed. Or getting a double-dorm room to himself by putting his wife's bathroom stuff and nightgown out on the other bunk, scandalizing the cleaning staff. And, of course, "safe cracking."

On of the more emotional parts is, of course, his wife's illness. She was in a sanatorium not very far from Los Alamos, trying to cope. They would send letters with little codes to challenge each other, and that was not allowed in a war-time weapons lab. So they both but most especially she chaffed under this requirement.

There were also many little stories about his efforts to manage the trip between the lab and the sanatorium. Borrowing cars, sharing rides with other people from the lab, etc. And dodging some trouble when one of the people he caught a ride with was Klaus Fuchs.

When she died, Feynman repressed the emotion because he was deep in the most intense part of the bomb project. We get to watch with him as the Trinity test goes off. He managed to hold it in until months later when he was walking down a street and saw a dress in a shop window, and happened to think how much his wife would like that dress. And then he lost it.

Ah, I had forgotten that genre! I love it! The intellectual biography film.

Sort of film shown only in Arts Cinemas. Though in more recent years tending to break out of that area with bigger productions as with "Theory of Everything". And the various films based on Turing. And "A Dangerous Method" about Jung and Freud. Hope to see Ramanujan.The most obscure of these, and probably the obscurest film mentioned on this thread must be "Death of a Neapolitan Mathematician" about Renato Caccioppoli who only in a place like PF would a few people have heard of. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_a_Neapolitan_Mathematician
Googling the title turns up many pages and you can see clips from it, but I think not much in English.

Other films of that type I remember one on Wittgenstein and there is one on Hannah Ahrend. But the best of all IMO is "Song of Summer" about the singular English composer, Frederick Delius, with a part also for the Australian composer and whirlwind, Percy Grainger. I won't put it on my list but you can see it all on Youtube

 

[DennisN]

Hi PF'ers!
The clock is ticking...
If anyone wants to nominate their 20 favorite movies and have not done so yet, I suggest doing it here in the thread as soon as possible. For more information, see the first post.

I plan to post my nominations some time tomorrow and then start to go through all the submitted nominations in order to do a final poll of the favorite movies on PF (and maybe a Venn-like analysis).

 

[DennisN]

Here are my nominations (chronologically listed, not ranked) with brief comments inspired by @epenguin.
I also add below some honorable mentions which could have been on a larger list of more than 20 movies.

Science Fiction:

1. The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars V, 1980)
Sinister, mature and very well written. The chemistry between Leia (Fisher) and Solo (Ford) is great, as well as the chemistry between Luke (Hamill) and Yoda, who is played by a puppet.

2. Back To The Future (1985)
Science fiction, action, humor, drama, romance and good music. This allround movie has definitely stood the test of time.

3. Aliens (1986)
Action... good action... no, exceptionally good action. And very thrilling.

4. Contact (1997)
Jodie Foster, James Woods et al. in a movie that elegantly aims for the stars.

5. The Truman Show (1998)
A science fiction satire about a very popular reality tv show that is recorded live 24/7 in the largest studio ever built. Jim Carrey is splendid as Truman Burbank, which is a role that is remarkably serious considering Carrey's other roles. The movie is also eerily visionary; compare with modern popular media like reality tv, personal blogs and personal video channels on youtube nowadays.

Drama:

1. Casablanca (1942)
Tight story, great dialogue, entertaining and suspenseful.

2. The Right Stuff (1983)
The story of test pilots trying out new aircraft and trying to break the sound barrier, and the story of the first American astronauts and the Apollo program.

3. Amadeus (1984)
A wonderfully filmed tale about brilliance, envy, romance, plotting and madness.

4. Empire of the Sun (1987)
Great story, good acting, beautiful and engaging.

5. Almost Famous (2000)
Good story, good acting, thoughtful and funny.

Thriller/Action:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
A great, thrilling adventure with a historical and mythological flavor.

2. The Untouchables (1987)
A thrilling police versus gangsters story with great actors.

3. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Thrilling to the bone.

4. Shutter Island (2010)
A thriller mystery story with quite many surprises.

5. The Imitation Game (2014)
A WW2 drama/thriller based on a true story. Great acting.

Other (comedies/animated):

1. The Jungle Book (Disney, 1967)
Great story, great music and entertaining. I love it.

2. The Sting (1973)
A wonderful heist movie with many surprises.

3. Life of Brian (Monty Python, 1979)
A very funny comedy with serious messages underneath it all.

4. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1998)
A very funny comedy about two competing con men on the riviera.

5. Shrek (2001)
He's green and the movie is very funny.

Honorable mentions:

Schindler's List, Mission Impossible 3 and/or 4, Nikita, Pulp Fiction, Jurassic Park, Blazing Saddles, Groundhog Day, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, As Good as It Gets, Bitter Moon, Bridge of Spies, Erin Brockovich, Falling Down, Fight Club, Apollo 13, Gandhi, Gladiator, Gran Torino, Little Miss Sunshine, Mississippi Burning, Munich, The Name of the Rose, The Shining, Angel Heart, A New Hope (Star Wars), Alien, Terminator 2 and some other science fiction .

 

[DennisN]

I'll keep the thread open for a while, if anyone else decides to sneak in some more nominations .
I plan to go through all nominations some time tomorrow!
See you!

 

[Klystron]

What would movies be without poster art?

All versions of Shakespeare's "Lear" tend to unsettle. "Ran" turns and rattles the cinematic world placed in feudal Japan. Fool -- sensing the obvious -- wraps the self-deposed monarch within alternating wreaths of contempt and compassion.

I miss Lear's daughters particularly enigmatic Cordelia, but the two scheming brothers and their conniving wives more than counter the one prince and consort who care for the aged ruler.

 

[DennisN]

Empire of the Sun (cinematically superb IMHO, great symbolic use of an atom bomb)

I agree, as you can see in my nominations post above. Nice to see that someone else chose that one too . I may not have remembered it if I didn't go through my entire movie library when I chose my favorites.

 

[DennisN]

@Bystander, I have a couple of questions...

GB&U

Could you please clarify which movie this is`? I don't understand.

And,

12. Back to the Future
13. " " " "
14. " " " "

In 13 and 14, do you mean the two Back to the Future sequels?

 

[vela]

I'm somewhat confident that this is the definitively correct list.
...
4. The Princess Bride
...

Inconceivable!

 

[Bystander]

I have a couple of questions...

Good, Bad, & Ugglllyyyy. (Had to stop & think a minute...shorthand simply does not work for movie lists) Yes, and yes.

 

[kuruman]

Here is my list arranged chronologically to disambiguate title degeneracies with remakes, spin-offs, etc.
Dracula 1931
Alexander Nevsky 1938
Casablanca 1942
The African Queen 1951
The Crimson Pirate 1952
The Seven Samurai 1956
Some Like It Hot 1959
North by Northwest 1959
Divorce Italian Style 1962
Dr. Strangelove 1964
The Good the Bad and the Ugly 1966
The Graduate 1967
M*A*S*H* 1970
The Godfather I 1972
American Graffiti 1973
The Sting 1973
Young Frankenstein 1974
Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981
Tootsie 1982
Lord of the Rings, Return of the King 2003

 

[Bystander]

Crimson Pirate; damn, 'nother that slipped by me.

 

[DennisN]

Hi all, and thanks for all nominations, and thanks to @kuruman for submitting new nominations.
I got a bit delayed due to real life stuff, but now I will go through all nominations and make a list of movies that have got the most nominations.

This is what I want to say in the meantime.

 

[DennisN]

Hi again, I am going through the nominations and making a list of movies with more than one nomination, and it looks like we are going to get a very fine list of movies for the final poll.

I have however found one arbitrary nomination:

@Klystron nominated The Maltese Falcon (1931) (since Klystron specified the year 1931)

Maltese Falcon

and @marcusl nominated

The Maltese Falcon

without any specification.

So my question to @marcusl is which movie you mean, since there are three movies with this name:

The Maltese Falcon (1931 film), adaptation of Dashiell Hammett novel, staring Ricardo Cortez and directed by Roy Del Ruth
The Maltese Falcon (1936 film), another adaptation, released as Satan Met a Lady, with Warren William, directed by William Dieterle
The Maltese Falcon (1941 film), best-known adaptation of novel, staring Humphrey Bogart and directed by John Huston

(quote from from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maltese_Falcon)

 

[marcusl]

I never knew about the others. I was thinking of Bogart in 1941.

 

[DennisN]

Ok fellows, some intermediary stats...

We have got nominations from 14 persons, and I have calculated that 39 movies got more than one nomination.

Movies with the most nominations:

There were three movies with 4 nominations:

• Casablanca
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• The Godfather

closely followed by four movies with 3,5 nominations:

• 2001
• Alien
• Aliens
• Life of Brian

and then a bunch of movies with 3 and 2 nominations.

Here is an image which shows the nominations count for these 39 movies:

 

[BillTre]

Which Thing is that Thing?
There were at least three.
I like the second one.

 

[fresh_42]

I officially protest the American hegemony of this list! Luc Besson deserves better!

 

[Bystander]

Luc Besson deserves better!

Agreed.

 

[OmCheeto]

I officially protest the American hegemony of this list! Luc Besson deserves better!

Wiki says he was involved with making 89 films. Do you have a couple of favorites?
Aside from "The Fifth Element", as I've watched it about 1000 times. I love that movie.

 

[epenguin]

I officially protest the American hegemony of this list! Luc Besson deserves better!

Then Jean Renoir deserves much better!