Avatree

Of course I can love films that are merely big, stupid fun - I adore Pacific Rim and Guardians of the Galaxy, to name a couple of recent examples, I don't know if you have looked at my 50 of the half-century list but there are already a couple I've written about, and there are a couple more to come. However, I don't find Pirates (or Transformers) fun in the slightest, hence I do not love it for being fun.

36. Ang Lee's LIFE OF PI Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Ayush Tandon, Gautam Belur, Rafe Spall Box office: $125M Rotten Tomatoes: 87% "So which story do you prefer?" A book which consists mostly of a boy on a boat in the middle of the sea wasn't a natural blockbuster, but it deserves every ounce of respect it gained. Ang Lee is one of the most accomplished modern visual directors, and on that front Life of Pi is nothing short of wondrous. Every shot is as exquisite and beautiful as a painting in a gallery. Vibrant colours are splashed delightfully across the screen in harmonious pattern, and it's amazing to watch. The other visual achievement in this film is the elephant (or tiger) in the room: Richard Parker is incredible. The majestic tiger is completely believable, thanks to the amazing people at R&H. The film deals with hope, spirituality, family, the will to survive, and how we deal with the horrors we experience. It admirably follows its convictions through to its soft end, and refuses to be simply suggestive. Lee continues to be one of my favourite directors, and Life of Pi is a valuable gem to add to his collection. $100 million dollar cinematic art doesn't come around often enough.

I'm aware that people love these movies, that doesn't mean I have to. I think they are utter horseshit, but that's just my opinion.

I would just kindly ask for reasons.

What's wrong with it, Tele?

It is a British film and its original (British) title is The Ghost, hence I call it that. I name films by their origin country's title, even if every other country uses a different version

Just occurred to me that Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation looks rather like the girl out of Lazytown

37. Roman Polanski's THE GHOST Starring: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Kim Cattrall, Tom Wilkinson Box office: $15.5M Rotten Tomatoes: 83% "He wasn't a politician; he was a craze." The Ghost is a political thriller revolving around Tony Blair and his war crimes in Iraq - and an exceptionally good one, at that. Ewan McGregor plays a ghost writer hired by the Prime Minister for his autobiography, but as the Ghost looks deeper into the PM's history, strange and disturbing revelations are made. The film has the perfect number of twists, which allow it to keep you enthralled for the whole journey, and a dark, haunting tone that is genuinely, eerily terrifying. It's in large part due to the fantastic central performances - I am a huge McGregor fangirl but he's a great actor, and we feel utterly sympathetic with his situation in which he has gotten himself too deep. Pierce Brosnan is usually a laughable screen presence, but he gives the best performance of his career here as the mysterious Blair-based PM. The film's bleak colour palette feels drained and hopeless, much like our protagonist, and Polanski, as one of the longest-working directors, has a real eye for grabbing the audience's throats and keeping their eyes peeled around every twisty corner. We are completely hooked throughout every eerie shot, right up until the film's abrupt and impacting end, making the film a truly magnificent thriller.

Predictions Please: Which other Martin Scorsese films, if any, will be further up in the list?

#70 31.47% Director: Martin Scorsese Written by: Terence Winter Martin Scorsese's 3-hour film about money, money and money makes it in to the list at #70. RT Consensus: "Funny, self-referential, and irreverent to a fault, WOWS finds Scorsese and DiCaprio at their most infectiously dynamic."

I couldn't fail to disagree with you less. PotC is utterly boring, the complete opposite of what is entertaining to me although I will say that it's slightly less terrible and slightly less boring than its sequels.

#71 31.32% Director: Abdellatif Kechiche Written by: Abdellatif Kechiche, Ghalia Lacroix Despite being considered by many critics the very best film of the year, it didn't even get a Best Foreign Language nomination at the Oscars. Nevertheless, Blue is the Warmest Color gets its due treatment here, at the only awards ceremony that matters. RT Consensus: "Raw, honest, powerfully acted, and deliciously intense, it offers some of modern cinema's most elegantly composed, emotionally absorbing drama."

I love the Rotten Tomatoes summary - "you'll have a good time when it's over". Nothing could be more accurate... Am I the only person on the forum who absolutely despises the Pirates movies? I really can't stand them. Almost as bad as Transformers imo. This film is easily my most loathed of the 100.

#72 30.57% Director: Gore Verbinski Written by: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio A surprise, unexpected blockbuster that spawned a massive franchise - the original Pirates movie comes in at #72. RT Consensus: "May leave you exhausted like the theme park ride that inspired it; however, you'll have a good time when it's over."

#73 30.53% Director: Andrew Dominik Written by: Andrew Dominik Another Brad Pitt film on our list takes the form of Andrew Dominik's adaptation of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Not only does it have the rank of #73, it also boasts the achievement of longest title on the list... RT Consensus: "On the strength of its two lead performances, Assassination is an expertly crafted period piece, and an insightful look at one of the enduring figures of American lore.

#74 29.97% Director: Sofia Coppola Written by: Sofia Coppola The closest we will get to having a Francis Ford Coppola film on the list, Lost in Translation places at #74. RT Consensus: "Effectively balancing humor and subtle pathos, Sofia Coppola crafts a moving, melancholy story that serves as a showcase for both Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson."

#75 29.89% Director: Richard Linklater Written by: Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy Richard Linklater debuts on our list at #75 with the second of the Before trilogy. RT Consensus: "Filled with engaging dialogue, Before Sunset is a witty, poignant romance, with natural chemistry between Hawke and Delpy.

Wow, I just managed to get rid of the ranked list from my computer entirely... will continue the countdown in a bit.

ZD30 is really overrated and, imo, just rather mediocre. It's not terrible but it does nothing particularly impressive. I don't not recommend it, but I don't recommend it either. Too low? Again, I re-iterate: although I can't tell you which movies these all beat, since that would spoil the fun - please just trust me that all 100 beat some astonishingly popular movies.

It's very strange that the most stretched out section of the book is the most rushed film, but it is nonetheless true. EE should be quite different.

#76 29.48% Director: Kathryn Bigelow Written by: Mark Boal It might not be the most accurate depiction of the war, but clearly Zero Dark Thirty engaged enough of the forum to make it to the list at a fine #75. RT Consensus: "Gripping, suspenseful, and brilliantly crafted, it dramatizes the hunt for Osama bin Laden with intelligence and an eye for detail."

Predictions Please: 1) Given that Avatar is now out of the way, what will be the second highest grossing film on the list? 2) 2 Nolan films down; how many to go?

#77 29.03% Director: Christopher Nolan Written by: Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer Another respected Nolan film creeps on to the list at #77. RT Consensus: "Brooding and dark, but also exciting and smart, Batman Begins is a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes."

This quote proves why people need to stop throwing around the word "lock" so easily.

#78 28.88% Director: James Cameron Written by: James Cameron James Cameron's Avatar might be the highest-grossing film ever, but it joins our list at #78. RT Consensus: "It might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of storytelling, but Avatar reaffirms James Cameron's singular gift for imaginative, absorbing filmmaking.