Baumer's ridiculous, uninformed, stupid list of MY BEST 105 FILMS EVER , FULL LIST PG 42

[Kalo]

you're throwing me off right?... you better be throwing me off.....

 

 

I'm worried. 

[baumer]

30) Rocky (1976)

John G Avildsen

 

Rocky changed my life.  It's a movie that makes you want to be a better person.  It also makes you want to go the distance.  

 

 

I'm a Stallone loonie.  I've professed my love over and over again towards Stallone and Rocky.  By now if you don't know why this movie is one of the best, in my eyes, then nothing I can say or write will convince you.  But this is about as iconic as they come.

 

 

 

trivia:

 

After producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff became interested in the script, they offered writer Sylvester Stallone an unprecedented $350,000 for the rights, but he refused to sell unless they agreed to allow him to star in the film (this despite the fact that he had only $106 in the bank, no car and was trying to sell his dog because he couldn't afford to feed it). They agreed, but only on the condition that Stallone continue to work as a writer without a fee and that he work as an actor for scale. After Winkler and Chartoff purchased the film, they took it to United Artists, who envisioned a budget of $2 million, but that was on the basis of using an established star (they particularly wanted Robert Redford, Ryan O'Neal, Burt Reynolds or James Caan). United Artists didn't want Stallone to star, and when Winkler and Chartoff told them that the only way they could get him to sell the screenplay was to agree to cast him, United Artists cut the budget to $1 million, and had Chartoff and Winkler sign agreements that if the film went over budget, they would be personally liable. The final cost of the film was $1.1 million. The $0.1 million came after Chartoff and Winkler mortgaged their homes so as to complete the project.

 

Sylvester Stallone insisted that the scene where he admits his fears and doubts to Adrian the night before the fight be filmed, even though production was running far behind and the producers wanted to skip it. Stallone had only one take for the scene, despite the fact that he considered it to be the most important scene in the film.

[baumer]

29) The Pianist (2002)

Roman Polanski

 

My original review

 

 

I can remember when this film came out I was adamantly against seeing it. I had my preconceived notions that it would be some other heroic Jewish Holocaust film where good triumphs over evil and in between we would see some brutal atrocities committed by the Germans to add some flavour.  

How wrong I was.

This is one of the best films I have ever seen and what it did to me I cannot describe in words. But in a nutshell, it moved me, made me cry, made me feel like I was in the Polish ghetto in 1940, and ultimately made me kiss the sidewalks as I walked out of the theater and thanked God that I live in the free society that I do (this is true....I literally kissed the sidewalk at Square One movie theater when I left the theater).

 

 

Roman Polanski has proved that he is a great director with films like Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby but this is his crowning achievement. I think the fact that this won the awards that it did at this years Oscars goes a long way to validate the brilliance of this film. I believe that the Oscar's are rigged for the most part and films and actresses and such win based more on their pedigree or business associations than anything else, so when it won best actor and director and adapted screenplay this year, it tells you that it should have won best picture but the Weinsteins seem to have a spell over everyone, hence a charlatan like Chicago takes top prize. Sorry for the digression here but when you compare a "film" like Chicago to a masterpiece like The Pianist, there really is one clear cut winner. They handed out the statue to the wrong movie.

The Pianist follows up and coming piano player Wlad Spielzman from his days as a local hero to a prisoner of war to his time in the ghettos, surviving only by the kindness of strangers. I think many people have touched on this before but what makes this film so amazing and well crafted is because Spielzman is a man that we can all relate to. He is not a hero, he is not a rebel and he is not a kamikaze type that wants and lusts after revenge. He is a simple man that is doing everything in his power to stay alive. He is a desperate man and fears for his life and wants to stay as low as he can. Only from the succor he receives from others does he manage to live and breathe and eat and hide. And this is how I related to him. If put in his position, how would I react? Exactly the way he did. This is a man that had everything taken from him. His livelihood, his family, his freedom and almost his life. There is no time for heroics here. Adrien Brody embodies the spirit of Spielzman and his win at this years Oscars was one of the happiest moments I have had watching the festivities. His speech was even better but that is a topic for another time.

Ultimately it is his gift of music that perhaps saves his life and the final scene that he has with the German soldier is one of the most emotionally galvanizing scenes I've witnessed. With very little dialogue, it is in the eyes, the face, the mouth and the sounds that chime throughout their tiny space that tell you all you need to know. I think it is this scene that won Brody his Oscar. This is one of the all time great performances.

 

I think Polanski spoke from the heart here. He has taken a palette of memories and amalgamated them with what he has read and given us one of the best films of our generation and any other. I think The Pianist will go down as one of the best films of this century and when all is said and done, Chicago will be forgotten the way Ordinary People was forgotten and when people talk about the film The Pianist, they will do so with reverence and respect. This is a cinematic masterpiece.

 

Trivia:  During the shooting of the movie, while scouting locations in Krakow, Roman Polanski met a man who had helped Polanski's family survive the war.

 

In order to connect with the feeling of loss required to play the role, Adrien Brody got rid of his apartment, sold his car, and didn't watch television.

Edited March 5, 2015 by baumer

[Kalo]

The Pianist was way too depressing for me. I couldn't handled it. Holocaust films are extremely hard to watch. and it's makes me furious that man can be that cruel. 

[baumer]

28) Mississippi Burning

Alan Parker

 

"I'll cut your fuckin' head clean off and not give a shit how it shows up in the report sheet."

 

Also, my original review:

 

Where does racism come from? How can one race feel superior to another? Are we born with it? No. Do we become it on our own? Maybe? Or is it perhaps that we are taught it? There is a small scene in Mississippi Burning that is just as powerful as any Gene Hackman speech or any violent montage to gospel music that is in this film. There is a rally at a park with the head of the KKK ( without his hood ) telling thousands of people that have gathered that he loves being white. He loves the fact that Mississippi is segregated. And in the crowd the camera pans across and shows three year old kids smiling and cheering as gleefully and loudly as their parent's are. It is haunting.  They are being bred to hate.

 

This film is bit like JFK in a way. It is not an absolute recreation of the events that took place in 1964, but it is a film that tells a true story and then adds a bit of fiction to make it more interesting for a mass audience. For example, the case was not cracked by Mr. Anderson fooling around with Pell's wife. But that is besides the point, the point being that this film is mesmerizing. Everything from its direction, cinematography, acting, writing and music, it is the best film of 1988. And having Rain Man take most of the major awards is really quite sad. Because Mississippi Burning is much more ambitious, important and well done. Rain Man is a very good film and I will even go as far as to say that Hoffman is the only one that deserved to win best actor just as much as Hackman did. But 1988 was a bad year for the rest of the Oscars. Anyway...

I have been edgy before. Boyz and the Hood did that to me, but this film makes me angry. It makes me want to jump back into 1964 and try to do something to stop this. The film is that strong at showing us how terrible and pointless racism is. And in order to make this film work, there has to be strong elements in all areas. But for me, what really made me feel the things that I did is the actors that played their roles.

Hackman is brilliant. He gives the performance of a lifetime and it is his anger that gives him his edge. He sees things differently than Mr. Ward does and that sometimes makes them bump heads with each other. But they ultimately have the same goal in mind. Just different ways of achieving that goal. Dafoe is great as well, but it is the supporting cast that really makes this film. From Dourif to R. Lee Ermey to Stephen Tobolwolski, these characters are richly portrayed by the actors that play them. There is however one actor in particular that I wanted to touch on and that is Michael Rooker. He plays Frank, the nastiest, meanest, no conscience, negro hating person that I think I have ever seen on film. I don't know where his anger comes from, but he is the kind of character that you can imagine had a violent father that drank too much and always told stories about how bad the black man was. When Rooker is on screen you listen. You pay attention to what he is saying and doing. And my hatred of him was one of my favourite parts of the film.

Mississippi Burning shows us how strange people are when it comes to racism. The characters in this film don't know why they hate the way they do, they just know that they do. And they are powerless to stop themselves. What happened to the three civil rights workers was a disgrace and a tragedy. But not just because three boys were murdered, but because no one knows why they were murdered,besides racism that is. Why did they have to die? Because they were a different colour of skin? Because they were Jewish? It really doesn't make any sense.

Mississippi Burning is one of the best films I have ever seen. It is important and it is entertaining. If you haven't seen it, do so just for the scene with Mr. Anderson and Deputy Pell at the barber shop. That is worth the price of the rental alone. But for a really important film that has something to say, this is one of the best.

 

Trivia:  The film is inspired by the murder of voting rights activists J. E. Chaney, Mickey Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman.

 

Don Johnson campaigned heavily for the role that went to Willem Dafoe.

Edited March 5, 2015 by baumer

[baumer]

Will try to do more later.

[The Stingray]

Alright, I think I'm gonna have to check out this Mothman movie. A Mothman is like a Yeti, right?

 

@ f**king tie business

[Fancyarcher]

Has anyone seen or even heard of Mothman?  

 

 

Yes I have. I have yet to see it though.

[The Futurist]

B just entered uber classics territory now.

I ve seen Mothman, don t remember much except that yes, there was a great doom and gloom atmosphere... But not a big Richard Gere fan.

My fave Scorcese is Casino.

Schindler s List is way too hard to watch.

The Pianist was meh to me.

Ghostbusters is just soooo goood, funny as hell, yet there is an incredible world building that makes you believe that ghosts and myths and monsters and nuclear backpacks are real.

Never cross the streams, people.

Edited March 5, 2015 by A Grey Future

[Ethan Hunt]

The last 30 minutes or so of The Breakfast Club are amazing. I can't say much about the rest of the film though.

[baumer]

B just entered uber classics territory now.

I ve seen Mothman, don t remember much except that yes, there was a great doom and gloom atmosphere... But not a big Richard Gere fan.

My fave Scorcese is Casino.

Schindler s List is way too hard to watch.

The Pianist was meh to me.

Ghostbusters is just soooo goood, funny as hell, yet there is an incredible world building that makes you believe that ghosts and myths and monsters and nuclear backpacks are real.

Never cross the streams, people.

 

[baumer]

27) Tombstone (1993)

George P. Cosmatos (and Kurt Russell, if you believe him)

 

"I have two guns, one for each of you."

"500?  Much be a peach of a hand"

"I'm your huckleberry."

 

Tombstone makes for a brilliant western in its own right as well as a great homage to classic western films. The films troubled production doesn't harm the film at all and it is one of the best westerns since the days of John Ford. The wonderful ensemble cast, exciting shoot outs and the nicely played out drama make this a really enjoyable film. 

 

The plot follows famous lawman Wyatt Earp as he retires to Tombstone Arizona where to fade into rich obscurity. While there he meets his two brothers and his friend Doc Holliday, who is dying from influenza. However, a group called the 'Cowboys' are causing trouble by ignoring the law and doing random acts of violence. This forces Wyatt to come out of retirement in order to put a stop to the trouble, all while he meets an actor he may love. The story is really good, as we see Wyatt do his best to resist becoming involved but in the end he has to do something. The large amount of characters get sufficient time too which is something not often seen and all of them feel very three-dimensional.

 

The whole cast is really impressive. Kurt Russell is excellent giving a steely sense of justice and heart. He knows how to convey the integrity needed and comes off as no-nonsense very well. Words don't do Val Kilmer justice as Doc Holliday in one of the greatest screen performances of all time. He captures the rogue impeccably with the perfect look, quotable lines and unbelievable charisma. Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton are great as Wyatt's brothers as the both play it very naturalistic and create a strong sense of friendship. Powers Boothe is brilliantly captivating as the very charismatic Curly Bill. Michael Biehn is wonderfully sinister in an edgy turn as infamous shooter Johnny Ringo. Stephen Lang and Thomas Haden Church are excellent as the Clanton brothers, while Dana Delany gives a charming performance as the actress Wyatt falls for. 

 

 

I could go on and tell you more about what makes Tombstone a fine film but once you watch this film, it's hard to get Kilmer's performance out of your head.  I have a personal list of ten performances I think are the apex in cinema,  I won't name them all, but Russell's is one of them.  He is just stunning here and he takes a role that was obviously well written but he breathes his own life into the character.  I seriously doubt Doc Holliday was this cool in real life.  In fact he was probably more like Dennis Quaid's version of his in Wyatt Earp.  But this is the Holliday we'll remember.

 

Tombstone is the best film of 1993.  Schindler's List is more important and I'm glad Spielberg won his much deserved Oscar but at the very least, Tombstone can and should be spoken about with the same reverence.   

 

Oh yea, the Gun Fight at the OK Corral.  Brilliant.

 

Trivia:  The line quoted by Doc at the end of the fight at the OK Corral is historically true and was reported in the Tombstone papers reporting the fight. When confronted by one of the Cowboys at point blank range, the Cowboy reportedly said, "I got you now Doc, you son of a bitch," to which Doc gleefully retorted, "You're a daisy if you do!"

 

In an interview with True West magazine in October 2006, star Kurt Russell admits that after original director Kevin Jarre was fired, he directed a majority of the picture. According to Russell, credited director George P. Cosmatos served merely to make things run smoothly. Also in the True West interview, Kurt Russell states that the film was nearly cast with Richard Gere as Wyatt Earp and Willem Dafoe as Doc Holliday.
 

[Avatree]

We watched The Pianist when I was like 13 in school. I remember absolutely nothing about it, other than the scene where a disabled man is thrown out of a window... it remains the most haunting moment in a film I've ever experienced. Gave me nightmares like nothing else.

[Kalo]

We watched The Pianist when I was like 13 in school. I remember absolutely nothing about it, other than the scene where a disabled man is thrown out of a window... it remains the most haunting moment in a film I've ever experienced. Gave me nightmares like nothing else.

I kind feel the same way about that scene. it completely disturbed me.. I couldn't finish the movie. 

[RobinHood26]

Im that guy who doesn't like the Breakfast Club. So the girly girly after 4 hours of detention decides to blow the bad boy because he opened up a bit. It ends with him fist pumping because he busted a nut. Thats how I look at it. 

Edited March 5, 2015 by Jay Hollywood

[Avatree]

Im that guy who doesn't like the Breakfast Club. So the girly girly after 4 hours of detention decides to blow the bad boy because he opened up a bit. It ends with him fist pumping because he busted a but. Thats how I look at it. 

Sounds like a strange film.

[baumer]

26) The Ring (2002)

Gore Verbinski

Written by Ehren Krueger

 

The Ring is without a doubt, the scariest film I've seen since perhaps the 80's.  I actually had two funny things happen to me with this movie.  First, for those of you who don't know, the plot is that there is a video tape going around that has some very odd things on it and if you watch it, you apparently have 7 days to live.  Two young girls died after watching the tape and now there's a reporter, played by Naomi Watts, who is investigating the deaths.  Her son ends up watching the tape and now she has 7 days to solve the mystery.  

 

 

Great.  The plot sounds interesting.  But it's the execution of it that makes the film one of the best I've seen.  I'll leave it at that and then tell you this:

 

I had seen the film twice.  On the third time, I took a friend with me and upon seeing Samara come out of the TV, he literally got up, face aghast, and the middle of the theater, in a loud voice said, "Hell NO.  Uh-un"  And he left.  

 

 

The Ring will do that to you.  It is a terrifying film for some of us.  For me, it's a truly brilliant but unsettling experience.

 

The second thing that happened is that when I was on Mojo talking about it in the forums after seeing it, my TV shut off, for no reason.  I panicked and got chills run through my body.  For one split second, I really expected Samara to come and get me.  

 

Trivia:  On its first week of release in the US and Canada, select cinemas put actual copies of "the" cursed tape on seats for unsuspecting viewers as freebies. The cursed video is now available as an Easter egg feature on the DVD.

 

When filming the scene where Samara is walking toward the camera on the tape, the actress, Daveigh Chase, was actually walking backward towards the well.

[RobinHood26]

Sounds like a strange film.

 

hahaha oops 

[RobinHood26]

Haven't seen in The Ring in ages, needs a rewatch. Have you seen Ringu? 

[Avatree]

hahaha oops 

Don't worry if you just spoiled it. I'm not gonna watch it any time soon.