You’re right about Chinatown, Polanski demanded the downbeat ending. You have great great taste in movies Mr Furball 
Under the Skin … Jonathan Glazer. Genius music/commercials director (made that guinness ad and radiohead/bjork etc.) Directed Sexy Beast, sadly at the time there were a load of similar British “gangster” type films. It was overlooked., went to hollywood made Birth, interesting but dull Nicole Kidman movie.
Then, bought the rights to an average scottish sci fi novel and spent 8 years developing it. It’s like nothing else you’ll ever see. Mostly filmed incognito, with hidden cameras for realism.
Jonathan Glazer … Sexy Beast and commercials/promo genius … He made that Guiness ad … Tick followed tock.
Bought the rights to a mediocre Scottish Sci fi novel. Spent 8 years developing a work of genius.
Empire’s Top 500.
How many have you seen?
OK, so here’s mine. I wouldn’t necessarily call these my favourite films, but these films have had a bigger effect on me than any others. In no particular order:
Pans Labyrinth
The Naked Gun
Airplane
Hidden
Irreversible
Die Hard
Blue Velvet
Dark Water
The Deerhunter
The Lego Movie
Special mention to True Romance, Man on Fire, The Fugitive, French Connection, Taxi Driver, The Godfather, Hot Shots, When Harry Met Silly. Deliverance, Se7en and Ringu.
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- That’s quite a mainstream list - and any list that ranks Transformers above Battleship Potemkin is a teeny bit weird.
Have you worked on any of them?
What an unimaginitive list. I expected more from you, Furball. B-
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Hmmm
Groundhog Day or Edge of Tomorrow?
No sign of Kelly’s Heroes anywhere in these lists, and nothing by Hitchcock? North by Northwest The Birds or Psycho has to get a mention somewhere surely.
Not a single Bond Movie? At least John Wayne/John Ford got a mention for The Searchers, phew as did Blazing Saddles/Naked Gun/Airplane family. (That “Nice Beaver” line is still a classic even today)
How anyone can think that any of the Alien sequals were better than the “Shock & Awe” of that first movie.
Nothing from the Superhero Genre’s, not even an early Superman? or from the modern era The Dark Night Rises?
Independence Day, Oblivion, Invasion Earth Battle Los Angeles, Close Encounters don’t seem to fit a list so what about earlier classics The Day the Earth Stood Still, When Worlds’ Collide or the varying Invasion of the Bodysnatchers derivatives? Or perhaps the original Day of the Triffids?
How to build a list? Been trying to think. Do I choose the films that made me think or the ones that made me laugh. Do I choose the ones I watch time and again when nothing else is on TV or the ones I grew up watching on Sunday afternoons. Can I actually remember the films that scared the bejeesus out of me before CGI got out of control so that has to bring Jaws into play.
After one watch this weekend, it’s possible that Lucy could become a cult classic, so how has everyone missed Dark Star from their lists. NOTHING from Peter Sellars? Not one mention for a Clouseau movie? Dr Strangelove is not on any lists? Seriously?
So difficult, so for now I’ll stick to
Mars Attacks
Kelly’s Heroes,
North by Northwest
& Blazing Saddles while I ponder other choices.
Originally posted by @Dubai_Phil
How anyone can think that any of the Alien sequals were better than the “Shock & Awe” of that first movie.
Aliens has got a better metascore than Alien. Critics would seem to agree.
Nothing from the Superhero Genre’s, not even an early Superman? or from the modern era The Dark Night Rises?
TDKR is worth a punt, but the early Superman films were shite. Their grasp of time travel is fucking awful.
I’m interested in how similar mine and Furball’s list is.
Annie Hall I find tricky. I mean, I absolutely adore that movie. It probably is my favourite film ever, and my go to as a bit of personal therapy for when the black dog is lurking. I can practically quote the thing line by line. In fact, I could probably make a list just made of Woody Allen films. Love & Death, Hannah & her Sisters and Manhattan are classics. Even Whatever Works and Midnight in Paris are pretty darn good. But, he is paedophile. Which kind of sours my watching of his films.
Some others I would throw into the mix.
Howl’s Moving Castle
City of God
Wall-E
and not because it is particularly brilliant, but just because I love it and it reminds me of being a kid, Back to the Future.
Ah, can’t believe I forgot “In the Mood for Love”. Stuuningly good film that.
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Originally posted by @KRG
Annie Hall I find tricky. I mean, I absolutely adore that movie. It probably is my favourite film ever, and my go to as a bit of personal therapy for when the black dog is lurking. I can practically quote the thing line by line. In fact, I could probably make a list just made of Woody Allen films. Love & Death, Hannah & her Sisters and Manhattan are classics. Even Whatever Works and Midnight in Paris are pretty darn good. But, he is paedophile. Which kind of sours my watching of his films.
KRG: to exclude great work, and to declare their creators unworthy because of some (perceived) transgression, is to confuse artistic quality with individual character flaws. If you follow this logic, you have to dispalce some of the greatest artists around, including the less-than-lovely Picasso. Also off the list would be the musician who made the very first rock-n-roll record, the wife-beating, bullying, psychotic Ike Turner. Besides, if you’re going to feel uncomfortable about a Woody Allen film, why this one, where he’s (or his character is) in and out of a relationship with a grown woman? Why not worry more about Manhattan, where the object of his (character’s) affection is a for a seventeen-year-old? In any case, what’s the evidence that Allen is a paedophile?
My suggestion is enjoy the movie for what it is and set aside the salacious stuff.
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I think you make very fair points.
I did expect the highlighted part. Frankly, it’s pretty well publicised. I find it pretty hard to explain away his very well known relationship to his formerly adopted step-daughter/now-wife and the indecent photos he possessed of her from way below the age of consent.
He’s a brilliant film-maker, but I have issues supporting a paedophile.
I don’t want artists or creators to be perfect, but for me, there are certain things that I will not support. Yes, this is personal, and somewhat arbitray. But I guess we make these decisions for ourselves, I am not asking anyone else to turn their back on him.
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Star Wars
Kingpin
Shawshank
JFK
Raiders
Bladerunner
Blood Diamond
Gandhi
Close Encounters
Gladiator
Notable mentions
12 Angry men
Unforgiven
Good/ Bad trilogy
Citizen Kane
Wizard of Oz
The Departed
Jerry Mcguire
Rings Trilogy
Play Misty for me
Casino
Goodfellas
Godfather trilogy
It’s a wonderful life
Gran tourismo
Rocky
Saving Private Ryan
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I’m a little confused, Furball. I can remember tons of times in debates where you’ve invalidated what someone has said based on something else they’ve said or done in the past, “Bryan Gould the Blairite” being a recent example. How come that’s invalid in the case of Woody Allen? Are his films that good that you can ignore the allegations levelled at the artist?
Ike is off the menu, btw. Has been for years.
You may well be confused. What exactly am I supposed to have said about Bryan Gould that relates to this?
Also, I’m not defending Allen, merely pointing out (a) that none of this stuff has actually been tested in a court of law; and (b) it is distinguishable from considering his creative work and its merit.
Oh, and here’s a much more balanced piece on the knowns and unknowns in the Allen/Farrow et all case.
https://avalard.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/woody-allen-trial-by-media/
Until there’s a court case, in which the evidence is rigorously tested, we just don’t know one way or the other. What IS true is that the animosity between Allen and Farrow is beyond ferocious.
And what do you mean by ‘Ike is off the menu’?
Too tired for a full list but here’s some:
Jaws
Meek’s Cutoff
Once Upon A Time In Anatolia
Breaking The Waves
Marathon Man
Close Encounters…
By the way, the Wolf of Wall Street was a pile of vacuous steaming shit. 3+ hours I’ll never get back.
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