What Movies Define Your Taste in Cinema?

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The discussion centers around favorite movies, with participants sharing a diverse range of titles. "Spirited Away" emerges as a standout favorite, praised for its storytelling and emotional depth, often regarded as a masterpiece of animation. Other frequently mentioned films include "GoodFellas," "The Shawshank Redemption," "Princess Mononoke," and "Back to the Future," highlighting a mix of genres from drama to fantasy. Many contributors express a nostalgic connection to childhood favorites, particularly Studio Ghibli films, and discuss the impact of watching movies without prior expectations. The conversation also touches on the artistic qualities of films, such as setting and music, with several users recommending lesser-known titles and exploring the philosophical themes in movies like "Dark City" and "A Scanner Darkly." Overall, the thread showcases a rich tapestry of cinematic appreciation, emphasizing personal connections to film and the joy of discovering new favorites.
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What is your favorite movie(s)?

Mine:

-Spirited Away (yes it's a "cartoon", yes the characters' eyes look like saucers, yes it's the best movie of all time)
-GoodFellas (humorous (in a twisted way), good story, great acting/directing)
-The Shawshank Redemption
-Princess Mononoke
-Dr. Strangelove
-Back to the Future
-Lord of the Rings (all three)
-Forrest Gump
-Raiders of the Lost Ark
 
Physics news on Phys.org
The Miracle Worker...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHwoRFe70jk

The Beguiled
Being There
Nixon
Witness
Forrest Gump
Amadeus
Ragtime
My Fair Lady
It's a Wonderful Life

The Crucible...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_HMY-5l0gI&feature
 
Quincy said:
What is your favorite movie(s)?

Mine:

-Spirited Away (yes it's a "cartoon", yes the characters' eyes look like saucers, yes it's the best movie of all time)
-GoodFellas (humorous (in a twisted way), good story, great acting/directing)
-The Shawshank Redemption
-Princess Mononoke
-Dr. Strangelove
-Back to the Future
-Lord of the Rings (all three)
-Forrest Gump
-Raiders of the Lost Ark

Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke from your list.
Toroto not on your list :bugeye:
Toroto is mine best among these three!
 
I think Spirited Away is the best. I watched it on a saturday morning on t.v right after waking up with no previous knowledge of the movie/studio ghibli, so I didn't have high expectations and didn't even know what to expect. To be honest, I'm not even sure why I like it so much. I think I do but I won't say it as I'll probably end up sounding stupid. For some reason, if you watch a movie with no previous knowledge of it, it's a lot better than if you had watched it with some background knowledge of it. I wish I had watched other studio ghibli movies the same way...
 
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Quincy said:
I think Spirited Away is the best. I watched it on a saturday morning on t.v right after waking up with no previous knowledge of the movie/studio ghibli, so I didn't have high expectations and didn't even know what to expect. To be honest, I'm not even sure why I like it so much. I think I do but I won't say it as I'll probably sound stupid. For some reason, if you watch a movie with no previous knowledge of it, it's a lot better than if you had watched it with some background knowledge of it. I wish I had watched other studio ghibli movies the same way...

I found Spirited Away very inspirational (Every single scene of it is interesting and enjoyable).
Princess come second (but it had a really strong hidden message).

But, I really loved the Toroto setting, people in that village and their lifestyles (it was bit boring though).
 
Thanks to having three young ones, I have just discovered Myazaki.

I saw Nausicaa way back in the 80s, but it was the butchered dub version ("Warriors of the Wind" it was called). I saw Totoro with my kids because it was recommended by Netflix, and loved it. Now we've seen Kikki, Spirited Away, Porco Rosso, Laputa, and Howl's Moving Castle.

Mononoke is not for kids. I previewed it on Youtube.

My 5-year-old likes to watch them with the original Japanese audio. The kids prefer Totoro, but I think Spirited Away is Myazaki's best. Howl's is also really good.
But, my all time favorite movie is Brazil.
 
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The settings of Whisper of the Heart and Howl's Moving Castle were the best. Settings are part of what makes Studio Ghibli movies great; after watching them, you start to wish you lived in a place like the movie's. The music in those movies is also wonderful.

The setting for Spirited Away was great also. I didn't think Spirited Away was exactly inspirational tough; what I really liked about it was how the main character's carefree, impatient, steadfast mindset (mindset that almost every kid in the world has) changes as the movie progresses, as mine did after I watched the movie. Hayao Miyazaki himself said that he decided to make the movie (even though he wanted Princess Mononoke to be his last) because he was inspired by the personality of his friend's daughter, whose personality was just like the main character of Spirited Away. Thank God for that little girl and him deciding to make the movie.

-- Like I said I don't really know why I love the movie so much but I think it's because of what I said above. I hope I didn't sound stupid...

Chi Meson said:
Howl's is also really good.

Yeah, but the last hour of the movie was... not was I was expecting. It seemed like it meandered away from the plot in the last hour, though I heard it was because the english version did not carry over well from the original (I have only seen the english version).
 
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FrancisZ said:
The Miracle Worker...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHwoRFe70jk

The first film clip is awsome.
 
wolram said:
The first film clip is awsome.

I know: there isn't even real dialog; and yet I cannot look away. The whole film is very engaging like this; though this scene most especially.

It just goes to show: if you are determined, you can succeed; and if you truly believe in the work that you do--that what you are doing is truly altruistic--then the love that you give in doing your work, will ultimately shine through.
 
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  • #10
The amount of Studio Ghibli discussion in here just makes me so happy. :) My favorites are probably Howl's Moving Castle, Castle in the Sky, Whisper of the Heart, Spirited Away,... you know what? I like them all! I actually can't really choose between them, they are all such fantastic movies! (GO Hayao Miyazaki!)
 
  • #11
Fight Club
Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels
Boondock saints
Snatch
The matrix (only the first one really)
saving private ryan
equilibrium
gattaca
pulp fiction

so many great ones!
 
  • #12
-Jungle book
-A beautiful mind
-Motorcycle diaries
-Identity
-What dreams may come
-Dead poets society (probably my fave)
-Green mile (the saddest film ever!)
-An inspector calls
 
  • #13
-One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
-To Kill a Mockingbird
-Once Upon a Time in the West
-Mississippi Burning
-The Dairy of Anne Frank
-Schindler's List
-Seven Days in May
-White Heat
-Killer Tomatoes:wink:
 
  • #14
Boondock Saints
Collateral
Troy
The Professional
The Dark Night
Band of Brothers(not a movie but still fricken awsome, probably my favorite)
The Matrix (first one)
Die Hard
Kill Bill 1&2
 
  • #15
Topher925 said:
Boondock Saints
Collateral
Troy
The Professional
The Dark Night
Band of Brothers(not a movie but still fricken awsome, probably my favorite)
The Matrix (first one)
Die Hard
Kill Bill 1&2
I am praying to God you are not a nuclear physicist.
 
  • #16
You all seem to like good movies, with the exception of that Spirited Away movie which Is aw once and was just too weird to figure out..

Personally some of the lesser known movies amongst my favourites are:
Dark City (with a youngish Kiefer Sutherland and Richard O'Brien)
A Scanner Darkly (Amazing Phillip K. Dick story with awesome cel-shaded effects)

The Thirteenth Floor isn't bad either and obviously I like all other great action/crime/war films like The Godfather, Goodfellas, Die Hard, all of Tarantino etc.

Try to post some lesser known ones because otherwise a lot of the lists contain the same films and most people have already seen them and it would be cool to find some awesome movies I haven't yet seen :P
 
  • #17
alexgmcm said:
You all seem to like good movies, with the exception of that Spirited Away movie which Is aw once and was just too weird to figure out..
Do you have any sense of art/creativity?
 
  • #18
I am praying to God you are not a nuclear physicist.

Why is that? I'm hoping that your not a physicist at all, since if you were you would probably be an atheist and could spell physicist correctly.

Dark City is a really good movie, and I think better than the Matrix in terms of that philosophy factor. The alien guys that make that clicking noise is kind of strange though.
 
  • #19
Quincy said:
Do you have any sense of art/creativity?

To be fair, anyone who liked "A Scanner Darkly" has got to have some sense of creativity. But I find it odd that after that, one would find anything else "too weird to figure out."
 
  • #20
Topher925 said:
Why is that? I'm hoping that your not a physicist at all, since if you were you would probably be an atheist and could spell physicist correctly.

Dark City is a really good movie, and I think better than the Matrix in terms of that philosophy factor. The alien guys that make that clicking noise is kind of strange though.

Hey, Topher925. he was making a joke. I think you need to quit watching all those violent movies. It has obviously made you combative.
 
  • #21
tribdog said:
Hey, Topher925. he was making a joke. I think you need to quit watching all those violent movies. It has obviously made you combative.

haha, you I know. I was trying to be funny too but I'm not very good at it.

I like to watch movies to be entertained and take my mind off of things and for some reason I find violence very entertaining. I like comedies too but recent comedies haven't been very funny.
 
  • #22
Chi Meson said:
To be fair, anyone who liked "A Scanner Darkly" has got to have some sense of creativity. But I find it odd that after that, one would find anything else "too weird to figure out."

Hmm, I might try and watch Spirited Away again, with a better sense of its storyline etc. as everyone seems to like it so much :-p
 
  • #23
alexgmcm said:
Hmm, I might try and watch Spirited Away again, with a better sense of its storyline etc. as everyone seems to like it so much :-p

They are not at all the same genre. Don't feel compelled to "like" anything just 'coz someone said you should. (Not suggesting that you do). My point was that "A Scanner Darkly" was just about the weirdest movie I've seen in a long time.

Another one of my favorites, more recent this time:
Memento.
 
  • #24
Forgot to mention, The Departed. Not as good as Scorsese's other work, but still pretty good.
 
  • #25
Some of my favorite movies are -

Time Bandits
Holy Grail
The Bishop's Wife
White Christmas
Holiday Inn
Heaven Can Wait
The Haunting (1963 original, not the horrid remake)
The Day the Earth Stood Still ( I cannot believe they are doing a remake)
Almost all Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies.
 
  • #26
Yesterday I watched Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels for the 1000th time. The dialogue never gets old!

Bacon: Anyone like jewelry? Look at that one there. Handmade in Italy, hand-stolen in Stepney. It's as long as my arm. I wish it was as long as something else. ... Treat the wife. Treat somebody else's wife. It's a lot more fun if you don't get caught. ... Buy them, you better buy them. These are not stolen, they just haven't been paid for, and we can't get them again, they've changed the bloody locks. Here. One for you. It's no good coming back later when I've sold out. "Too late, too late" will be the cry when the man with the bargains has passed you by. If you got no money on you now, you'll be crying tears as big as October cabbages.

Edit:
And here's the full scene:
_o1UXSxTjfo[/youtube]
 
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  • #27
Clip from Dr. Strangelove:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JeedOjAbo4o&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JeedOjAbo4o&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

-- Very possibly the most satirical scene in a film to ever exist.
 
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  • #28
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRSvVc48-Rk

rRseVyzl6Z0&NR=1[/youtube] A new...d like: American Gigolo -1979 Richard Gere
 
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  • #29
Topher925 said:
Why is that? I'm hoping that your not a physicist at all, since if you were you would probably be an atheist and could spell physicist correctly.

I am not a physicist, and I suck at spelling. You seem to have a violent choice of movies!
PS. The spelling is due to Epiphany not spell checking
 
  • #30
Another movie I saw. It was OK, not great, not bad. But a somewhat good story to it.

The Hunting Party

4_y9_WuUIr4[/youtube] (it's quit...e from bosnia put on youtube for this movie).
 
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  • #31
This is my favorite scene from the recent incarnation of King Arthur. Arthur sets the village elder free...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvST8qo-m2k
 
  • #32
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...& Spring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3Wq1XhbBgk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3Wq1XhbBgk&feature=related

A young boy lives in a small floating temple on a beautiful lake, together with an elderly master who teaches him the ways of the Buddha. Years later the boy, now a young man, experiences his sexual awakening with a girl who has come to the temple to be healed by the master. Driven by lust, the youth runs away to the outside world but unfortunate and unfavorable outcomes turns his life into hell. Years later, he returns to the lake temple to discipline himself and to find spiritual enlightenment.

I loved it and really want to go there :smile:
 
  • #33
Why are the playing native american music to a chinese movie... :rolleyes:
 
  • #34
"Invasion" - The last and best episode of the German SciFi series "Raumpatrouille" (Spacepatrol) from the 1960s.

Unfortunately, they never made an English version. But in the very short clip below (with English subtitles) yoú can at least see the most characteristic features:

- Really crappy "special effects" (the first scene is meant to show the invasion fleet of the extraterrestrials :frown:)

- A very cool atmosphere :approve:



By the way, I also stole my nickname for this forum from Raumpatrouille - Oberst Villa is some kind of a tragic villain of "Invasion". Although he is head of GSD (Galaktischer Sicherheitsdienst, Galactic Security Service), he - after beeing caught and brainwashed by the extraterrestrials - secretly prepares their invasion. He appears shortly at 0:37 in the clip.
 
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  • #35
Oberst Villa said:
"Invasion" - The last and best episode of the German SciFi series "Raumpatrouille" (Spacepatrol) from the 1960s.

Unfortunately, they never made an English version. But in the very short clip below (with English subtitles) yoú can at least see the most characteristic features:

- Really crappy "special effects" (the first scene is meant to show the invasion fleet of the extraterrestrials :frown:)

- A very cool atmosphere :approve:



By the way, I also stole my nickname for this forum from Raumpatrouille - Oberst Villa is some kind of a tragic villain of "Invasion". Although he is head of GSD (Galaktischer Sicherheitsdienst, Galactic Security Service), he - after beeing caught and brainwashed by the extraterrestrials - secretly prepares their invasion. He appears shortly at 0:37 in the clip.


You know what is funny about this? Even in the future the Germans are as organized as an Intergalactic Empire. Makes you wonder if they have a Death Star.

It's something even more so than Star Trek the Next Generation. Compared to the classic Star Trek, I have always found Next Gen flight crew a wee bit inhuman. Never seen any of them doling out a behind the head karate "boom-f" chop to the neck.

And these Germans of the future look more like they'd fit in with the Next Gen crowd somehow.
 
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  • #36
Heide.
 
  • #37
FrancisZ said:
You know what is funny about this? Even in the future the Germans are as organized as an Intergalactic Empire. Makes you wonder if they have a Death Star.

Much better - every spaceship of at least category "Schneller Raumkreuzer" (Fast Space Cruiser) has the "Overkill" device on board (they really used the English word overkill) which is capable of destroying a planet. The clip shows a scene where it is just tested, i.e. not with full power:



But they only use Overkill if it's really necessary o:)
 
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  • #38
jimmysnyder said:
Heide.

:confused: Do you mean Heidi ?

OMG - please tell me it's not true... Or that you meant one of the X-Rated versions featuring an adult Heidi...

Or are you talking of clips with Heidi Klum ? :-p
 
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  • #39
Oberst Villa said:
Do you mean Heidi?

No, I mean Heidi. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063051/"

Joe Namath and a bunch of other really good athletes were eager to watch this movie but due to pressing obligations were unable. I feel sorry for them.
 
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  • #40
Oberst Villa said:
Much better - every spaceship of at least category "Schneller Raumkreuzer" (Fast Space Cruiser) has the "Overkill" device on board (they really used the English word overkill) which is capable of destroying a planet. The clip shows a scene where it is just tested, i.e. not with full power:



But they only use Overkill if it's really necessary o:)


I'm impressed with their special effects. I think the computer simulation & voice is pretty cool for 60's tv.
 
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  • #41
Quincy said:
What is your favorite movie(s)?

Mine:

-Spirited Away (yes it's a "cartoon", yes the characters' eyes look like saucers, yes it's the best movie of all time)
-GoodFellas (humorous (in a twisted way), good story, great acting/directing)
-The Shawshank Redemption
-Princess Mononoke
-Dr. Strangelove
-Back to the Future
-Lord of the Rings (all three)
-Forrest Gump
-Raiders of the Lost Ark

These are great picks.

What's my favorite movie of all time?

Believe it or not... "Fantasia"... and all of the Warner Brother's parodies of it.

Actually... "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"

This film had so many features to like about it, I couldn't get over it.

There's the history, there's the earthiness, there's the humour and the gunplay... there's too much to mention... including the sets. The other thing is, its a foreign film made to look domestic... very tricky.
 
  • #42
My favorite quote from GB&U is when Clint says:

"Such ingratitude ... after all the times I've saved your life."
 
  • #43
Amadeus
Boondock Saints
Clerks
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Galaxy Quest
Good Will Hunting
Immortal Beloved
Pulp Fiction
Requiem for a Dream
Reservoir Dogs
Serenity
Shaun of the Dead

I have many favorite movies, but these are the only ones I can think of at the moment. :)
 
  • #44
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rounders_(1998_film ) gets my vote but it's not for everyone.
The combo of Matt Damon and Edward Norton is too much goodness in one movie.
 
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  • #45
Machete and True Grit are my recent top two!
 
  • #46
Some movies on my Top List:

The Shawshank Redemption
Inception
The Dark Knight
Harry Potter
Sherlock Holmes
Social Network

These are not all my top picks. Just some recent ones that I can remember.
 
  • #47
Castaway, LOTR, Star Wars, The Ocean series, Princess Monoke, Radio, etc.
 
  • #48
I liked:
I, Robot
Pursuit of Happyness
Invictus
Batman Begins
Dark night
A few good men
Gladiator
A Beautiful Mind
Taare Zammen Par
 
  • #49
Can anyone recommend some good drama movies, I have been searching but cannot find many. Preferably pg 13
 
  • #50
^ I really like The Majestic, it's a very good natured story. Also: Amelie, it's French, and it's amazing. So is A Very Long Engagement - it's a mature movie and contains strong violence (set in WWI), but it will break your heart (in a good way) :)

Good Night, and Good Luck - a movie about Edward R. Murrow (the journalist) vs McCarthy (the senator), it's in black and white with a great smokey jazz soundtrack and has a very authentic cinema feeling about it. George Clooney, David Strathairn and Robert Downey Jr.

Life Is Beautiful. This is my favourite film of all time, it's absolutely the best I've ever seen. Written directed and staring Roberto Benigni as a father with wife and child in a German prison camp, and how he keeps his son from ever knowing how dire the situation was. It's a truly amazing film!

A few other favourites include:

Adaptation (Chris COOOOOPER! He rocks this film, and Meryl is great too, I love it)
Miller's Crossing (a perfect gangster film about hats :)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (dramatic, hilarious, adventurous!)
9 (Tim Burton produced animation, if you haven't seen it, SEE IT! it's first class! :)
Platoon (I rewatched this recently, it's still great <3)
Das Boot (I just watched this for the first time last week, was gobsmacked, an amazing war movie, I can't believe I waited so long to see it >.>)
True Grit (the latest one by the Coen Bros, I loved it!)
Northfork (this movie is strange, surreal, quiet, the story is slow moving and very sad but uplifting at the same time, I watched it twice in one sitting!)
Princess Bride (a spoof of the whole fantastic disney movie genre, but it stands alone as something else entirely, it's the best kids movie around, and still funny even when you aren't a kid anymore!
 

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