I have decided to try out a new type of list on the site – one where you (the readers) pick the content. This isn’t a top ten however. The aim here is for you to discuss the question at hand and share your views with the rest of the site. If the idea takes off, I will consider making these a regular part of the site.
The format will be: I ask the question, I give my answer and reason, and then I open the floor to everyone here to give their answers and reasons. So – onward, to our first installment of Your View.
What is the best movie ever made, and why?
I think the best movie ever made is The Godfather.
I think it is the best movie because every time I watch it (and I have watched it many times) it really manages to draw me in – I become totally absorbed and feel like I am part of a real scene playing out around me. Also, the film has amazing cinematography and direction, and the acting is top-notch!
NOTE: Because this is our first try at “Your View” – let me know whether you think this is a good idea or whether we should forget about it. This will not replace any lists and we will continue to write lists as usual.
I think the greatest film is “Dr Strangelove”. It contains at least five of the greatest comedic performances committed to screen (George C Scott, Sterling Hadyen, Sellers, Sellers, Sellers), the satire is razor-sharp and the film is frighteningly prescient. Kubrick didn’t intend to write a comedy until he began his script treatment and realised how ridiculous it all was.
My favourite part is when Dr Strangelove’s alien hand syndrome kicks into gear, the guy playing the Russian ambassador is corpsing really obviously in the background.
The Godfather? I know this is heresy, but I fell asleep during The Godfather.
Schindler’s List. This movie doesn’t even need to be defended, but I will. This film breaks my heart and makes me feel great about being a human being all at the same time. I can hardly bear to watch it, but it is too beautiful to miss.
The “I could have saved one more” scene remains the most moving scene I’ve ever seen in a film.
also… the ads on this page make it really difficult to read. I understand that you are “just paying the bills”, but I like to be able to follow the flow of the page a bit more easily. 2 ads between the title and the comments is kind of painful.
I think Children of Men is the best movie ever. It is just absolutely fantastic, particularly the bit where they are walking down the stairs. I couldn’t find a single fault with it, which is why I think it’s the best movie ever. Batman Begins would also be a contender if it didn’t have Katie Holmes in it.
Among new movies, The Departed, nuff said!
I really liked Serenity. Ok so i’m a bit of a sci fi junkie but I thought it was/is a really great movie!
If this favorate movie thing does catch on is there any chance of a “what is the worst movie ever made” section? haha THAT would get alot of comments! Imagine the agruements that would go on there…ok so maybe that was a bad idea
Any Kubrik’s film. Probably Dr. Strangelove as Mac says…well, maybe 2001…
Woah sorry for the 3 comments in a row but after I submited that last one the whole page changed it was centered and the banner was bigger and rounded on the edges! What’s up with thta!?
Whoa, I totally agree with Nelia about the ads- I completely missed your Godfather pick and was wondering she commented on it.
Hey, I fell asleep during the Godfather too! 20 minutes in and I was out!
I can’t pick an all time greatest, so I’ll pick my all time favorite- Singing In the Rain. The casting, the characters, the dance numbers, the songs, and the comedy, all way ahead of their time. It is just so clever and witty, and Gene Kelly is so swoon-able. There has never been another musical like it and if they ever do a remake, I just might slit my wrists…
Mac: I must say – I love Dr Strangelove – it is a great film.
Nelia: to be honest I found Schindlers List to be a little over the top. Oh – re the ads – I am not able to turn them off from page to page – it is less noticeable on lists as they are long – but on short pages like this it can be a bit of a pain – I agree
Kirsten: haha re Katie Holmes! I love Batman Begins too – I can’t wait for the next one.
Harsha: loved that one too! Wow this is a list of my favorite movies!
fishing4monkeys: That is ag ood suggestion – I was planning to cover all manner of topics too – thing like “what is the best religion” MUAHAHAH!
I think the greatest film ever made is The Conversation. Made by Francis Ford Coppola, in between The Godfather 1 and 2. It is a more solid film than the Godfather films, although they are excellent too. It follows a simple premise of a man struggling with the morals of his career, but manages to convey so much through such profound direction. The theme is totally amazing also, and Gene Hackman provides his best role yet (later reprised in Enemy of the State). It won the Golden Palm at Cannes in 1974, and it is somehow still totally under-rated and overshadowed by the Godfather. Check it out.
In terms of recent films I would say Fight Club is an absolute masterpiece. I was also very impressed by the recent “No Country For Old Men”
I have moved the advert to the bottom – unfortunately it is the best I can do!
fishing4monkeys: is it right now? I was in the middle of uploading the search button back – it flicks to base theme when you do that.
MojoRisin: what is the career the guy has in The Conversation? And Fight Club is a modern masterpiece – I agree.
Oh by the way, I think this is a really good idea. The downside is that when the page gets heaps of comments, no one will be bothered to read them all. Perhaps you could incorporate a tally of some kind.
He is a microphone expert who gets paid to listen in to people’s private conversations.
Jfrater – you can’t blame me for having a deep, abiding love for Liam Neeson
I couldn’t nominate Michael Collins because I didn’t think many people would have seen it (and Julia Roberts kind of ruins it), so I went with SL. Still love it though. And still can’t get through The Godfather, but my boyfriend loves it almost as much as he loves Star Wars.
I can live with the ads, I can see how 4 ads on a page with only a few lines could get out of hand, but be ok on a long list page.
Hard to say. Godfather is a great example of an excellent classic movie. I’m also tempted to include ‘High Noon’ or ‘Twelve Angry Men’ (although this is rather a stageplay than a movie).
IMHO the ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies also have deserved a top rank.
–
Jeremy
I love Dirty Dancing and The Shawshank Redemption.These may not be as profound as the movies mentioned above,but they’re certainly movies I can watch over and over again.American Beauty is great too.
MojoRisin: I was thinking about that – it might be possible to go over the list of comments and see what the totals were – though that would be a right pain if there are 100 different opinions
And thanks for answering that question – I would LOVE to be a microphone expert listening in on people’s conversations 
Nelia: you know – I have actually not seen Michael Collins – I am not the biggest fan of Neeson so it put me off.
Jeremy Foster: I wondered how long it would be before we got a Lord of the Rings mention
sue: Shawshank is a very enjoyable movie – the ending makes you feel so good!
jfrater:
Hahaha “best religion” because THAT would DEFINATLY make for a very peaceful and intelligent comment list
Ok, they aren’t the best films ever made, but my two favourite films ever are 300 (great when you can’t be assed thinking of anything) and Team America: World Police (funniest film ever).
I think, however, the best film ever made that I’ve seen is A Clockwork Orange. The atmoshpere, acting, music, & stuff makes it awesome.
I like this topic. Lots of good suggestions so far…
I have a lot of difficulty with this, so, if I may, I’d like to do one comedy and one drama. Bloody Sunday would be my pick for drama. The Graduate for comedy. And freakin’ Jaws rocks my socks off every time I put it on! It never ever gets old or loses its suspense for me. Acting, soundtrack, cinematography, all are excellent.
fishing4monkeys: yeah
It would beat the bible stories list I am sure!
dangorironhide: I could agree about 300 – but not Team America – I really didn’t like that! Also, totally love Clockwork Orange – Kubrick is a master!
dmarmion: thanks for reminding me about Jaws – I haven’t seen it in ages – I had better go pick up the DVD!
jfrater:
Yeah, 1127 comments and it’s finally starting to die down
Jfrater – sigh… not a fan of Liam? How about Daniel Day Lewis? Can I submit “In the Name of the Father” as the best movie ever? I was young and and in a classroom when I saw it, which kind of screwed up the viewing experience, but it is an understated and wonderful film. I love LotM with Lewis running about in minimal clothing, but ItNotF is Lewis’ best that I have seen.
fishing4monkeys: I really cba reading all the comments. Can someone give me an overview on what they were about?
Nelia: Liam Neeson I beleive is the single best character in Star Wars Ep 1. Qui-gon was awesome.
I never read them…I saw the list only after a few hundred comments and didn’t bother spending 4 hours reading them all
I’d skim through and summarize it but that’s a heck of alot of comments!
Sorry I can’t help.
Haha ok then, maybe someone else can
dangorironhide: to sum up the comments on the bible list: atheism versus religion
Nelia: not a big fan of him either – though I love his sister – she is one of my favorite TV chefs (Tamasin Day Lewis). And you can certainly submit any film you like – this is YOUR list – not mine
I can live with that! Schindler’s List and In the Name of the Father then.
Never seen his sister, I’ll have to youtube her? Oh, and Jaws is the most watchable movie of all time. I’m sending mixed messages here… Cause Jaws is fantastic as a movie that may not be as meaningful as others, but no one I know will ever change the channel when they see it.
Nothing like a good religion debate to get the comment numbers up!
Citizen Kane, Citizen Kane, Citizen Kane. It’s critically thought to be the best movie ever made, and for good reason. It’s got everything an excellent movie should have: mystery, intrigue, romance, beautiful filming, well-choreographed shots, and ground-breaking camera work.
And then, for fun, I would have to say a Hitchcock. Which one? I don’t know, they’re all so good. If you were making a list of the best, Hitch*****would HAVE to be on it somewhere. I’m going to say Rear Window, just because it’s pretty universally appealing, I think. (And also because I have a crush on Jimmy Stuart.)
As for a recent movie, maybe Magnolia? I hate-hate-hate Julianne Moore and Tom Cruise, but it’s a well-paced and attractive film.
good will hunting…great great movie
Nelia: unfortunately there is nothing of her on youtube. This is a synopsis of her with a photo and some of her recipes: http://uktv.co.uk:80/food/item/aid/530456
phunniemee: I love Julianne Moore – she was great in Magnolia – especially the scene at the drugstore!
mabutt88: Good Will hunting is definitely a great film.
jfrater: I find her incredibly grating and talentless (to each his own, right?) haha. I think what bugs me most about her (and Tom Cruise) is that she plays basically the same character type in every movie she’s in. Except for The Hours, maybe but don’t even get me started on that P.O.S.
phunniemee: each to his own for sure – I despise John Malkovich yet many people seem to like his hack acting! Funny you mention Cruise too – I think that Magnolia is one of the few films in which he is an excellent actor – revolting – but excellent.
It is West Side Story, but one must be music and dance lover to enjoy it, winner of ten academy awards.
How about splitting the movies by genre, the same with the list of best ever books…but if u must know, the Seventh seal gets my vote
Savas Demirel: wow – I didn’t know it had won that many awards! It is a great musical.
Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia, Raging bull…
I would go with Citizen Kane on this, just absolutely amazing lighting, plot, characters, casting, themes etc etc!
Also up there in my opinion there is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Pulp Fiction, Donnie Darko and Withnail and I.
Serenity: http://imdb.com/title/tt0379786/
How about Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky. It is by far the greatest movie that i have ever seen.
mabutt88: I agree with u,Good Will Hunting is excellent.Come to think of it,I rather like the dramatic side of Robin Williams,esp in The Dead Poets Society,which was another great film
i vote for ‘Once upon a time in America’
I find myself questioning the movie posters you picked after the jump. Deuce Bigalow 2?, the Pink Panther(remake)?, Roll Bounce?, The Wedding Date?. Really? Maybe i’m the only one that can remember a movie by its poster.
Anyway, I have to vote for Pulp Fiction. It truly is an incredible exercise in story telling. Its one of those movies that you cant just watch a scene, you find yourself obligated to watch the entire movie everytime, which, with a 400 hour movie like ‘The Godfather’, you cant say often.
TRON don’t really need to say anything else
The Usual Suspects.
Because pwnage put to film is funny.
I’d go with The Princess Bride. It’s such a wonderful story, told so brilliantly and acted so perfectly that it can be watched again and again. I’ve watched it more times than I could ever hope to remember and still can’t find any faults in it.
Cinematic Perfection.
I agree with Sue on the Shawshank Redemption. The Godfather movies, as a series, make a much better story than the first one. I had trouble being drawn into the first one.
Am I really the first to mention… Alien.
I find myself wanting to go with what is traditionally seen as the best movie ever made, Citizen Kane, but I will resist that this time. I really enjoy the movie, so I think sometimes my opinion influences how I feel about that particular movie.
I am going to have to go with Casablanca. I studied the movie in a screenplay class in graduate school, and I developed a whole new appreciation for the movie. The dialogue, the characters, story, camera-work, etc, combine to create an amazing work of art that would even please Aristotle.
We were studying how scenes move forward in a movie or play. Usually this is built on one or more characters wanting something and then coming into some sort of conflict over that thing. Casablanca does this so well. Without having a voice-over narrative or any other cheap devices, Casablanca uses dialogue to show you where you are, what’s going on, who are the key players, etc. It’s just amazing.
And if I had a tie for greatest film, it would probably be Touch of Evil. The tracking shot in the beginning of the movie is incredible.
Dr. Strangelove was amazing (and the idea for my A&P paper – Alien Hand Syndrome) and definitely up there on my list. I’m torn between that, Full Metal Jacket, The Boondock Saints, and American Psycho.
The Searchers. John Wayne and John Ford at their best.
There is no such thing as the greatest movie. Different people like different things at different times. I could never pick which film I find the best, cause I like so much genres. You’ve got the traditional “good” Oscar films, but you’ll never find a great comedy or sci-fi within those selected movies. While those Oscar movies can be great, sometimes you fancy a nice comedy or sci-fi. Other times you might want to see a cheesy chick flick, because that’s what you need at the time. “greatest” doesn’t exist.