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

[TalismanRing]

It's not stolen, it's (generally) legal within the framework of our capitalist system. (Actually, Wall Street insiders were supposedly amused by the title, because Belfort was such a minor player on Wall Street. The big boys ripped people off to a much, much bigger degree.)

 

Of course, whether capitalism is basically legalized theft is another, more philosophical question.

 

It wasn't generally legal, it was illegal on many counts, as is a lot of of shit done by Wall Street insiders.  It's just that it's a crime that gets a slap on the wrist because of fucked up priorities in the criminal justice system where it's considered worse to steal a car than it is to steal hundreds or thousands of people's life savings and drive some to suicide.

 

Sure there are people who identified with and/or envied him and his ilk but then there are those that think the main character in Nightcrawler is a character to root for and admire.  The difference is Gilroy does far more to show his lead as repellant than Scorsese does.

[TalismanRing]

I won't be so long winded for every films.  Sorry.

 

Don't apologize - the extensive write-ups for the films is what makes this such an entertaining countdown.

Edited March 6, 2015 by TalismanRing

[The Stingray]

The Terminator the best film so far, imo.

 

Also glad you picked Angel Heart. Seems to be very underseen and underappreciated. Probably has some of the coolest endcredits ever.

[vc2002]

Damn not even one animation film. What kind of childhood did you live through baumer....

[baumer]

I don't particularly identify with animation.  It's just not my cup of tea,

[Avatree]

Glad to see the original Star Wars on here. Nowadays it gets a bit overlooked thanks to Empire Strikes Back; but imo Star Wars verges on being a perfect movie.

 

Actually someone else on here, I believe it was Blankments, agreed with me in that regard.

I agree with you too.

(And I say that as a massive fan of Heath Ledger)

 

 

Damn not even one animation film. What kind of childhood did you live through baumer....

That's actually my issue with animated films - most of the time, my love for them is mere nostalgia, nothing more.

Edited March 6, 2015 by treeroy

[Jessie]

I prefer Eckhart's performance in TDK to Ledger's

 

I prefer Eckharts performance in The Core to his performance in this. I actually thought he was pretty average in this, overacted a little.

[baumer]

16) Stand By Me (1986)

Rob Reiner

Story by Stephen King

 

 

Stand By Me is the story of one-of-a-kind friendships. The movie starts out with a man writing a book recalling that "you never have friends as good as the ones you had when you were twelve". The author is who the movie revolves around, Gordie Lachance. Gordie (Wil Wheaton), Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman), and Vern (Jerry O'Connell) are four friends who embark on a journey of their life at the age of twelve. They set out to find the body of a dead kid, whom Vern overhears his brother stating the boy's location, but the foursome end up facing many obstacles along the way including a bully, Ace, played by Keifer Sutherland.

 

While the boys are going to a grim destination, the bond and adventure that they endure is one that will last them a lifetime. A theme of this film would be to enjoy your childhood because growing up sucks and happens way faster than you realize. Gordie realizes this after the death of his older brother at which point he becomes invisible to his parents. All four of the boys came back from their journey with a new sense of maturity. I think seeing the dead boy along with the run-in with Ace's gang contributed to that along with other iconic scenes such as sleeping in the woods, Chopper, and swimming with the leeches.

 

 

. The scene in which Gordie and Chris are talking about Gordie taking advanced classes when they go back to school uses lighting to contribute to the theme. The lighting is soft on Gordie which makes him seem very childlike and hard on Chris with makes him seem more mature. This was kind of ironic as Chris was the one that was supposed to be the trouble maker and who I think would be considered childish whereas Gordie is more mature most of the movie. For example, Gordie doesn't horse around as much as the other three boys. I think the radio music also contributed to the theme since it was happy 50's music used as a motif to portray happiness, which goes along with most childhood memories especially those with your friends.

 

Stephen King is the best writer of my generation and imho, of all time, and he has written a story that touched me in many ways.  I had friends like these when I was 12 and just as the last line of the movies says (I never had friends like I did when I was 12, jesus, does anyone?), my friendships are not nearly as strong in my adult years as they were when I was just turning into a teenager.  

 

 

In conclusion, enjoy your childhood while you still have it. As this movie teaches the viewer, it goes by way too fast. We always seem to take time for granted and issues that occurred while we were young seemed such a big deal then but now we know that they were trivial compared to issues that we have to face as adults.

 

Stand By Me is perfection.

 

Trivia:  As with most of Stephen King's stories, this one originally contained connections to other books he has written. Ace Merrill later re-appeared in the book Needful Things (1993), although he does not appear in the film. The dog Chopper is compared to Cujo (1983). Characters are familiar with Shawshank Prison, from The Shawshank Redemption (1994). Teddy Duchamp was actually first mentioned in King's first book, Carrie (1976), in which Carrie destroys a gas station he once worked at.

 

According to Wil Wheaton on the DVD documentary, the scene in which Verne (Jerry O'Connell) can't remember the "secret knock" to the clubhouse was thought of by Wheaton, Phoenix, and Feldman on the day it was shot as another way to make Verne look more pathetic.

Edited March 6, 2015 by baumer

[baumer]

15) Titanic (1997)

James Cameron

 

My original review:

 

I have always been a James Cameron fan. He is really one of the only directors I can say that has never made a bad film. Even his Piranha 2 was humorous and a fine effort coming from such a young director with a small budget. He has made, from what I can recall, two masterpieces (Aliens and Terminator 2) a genre pioneer (Terminator) and one of the best action movies to come out in the 90's ( True Lies ) and an ambitious touching film ( The Abyss ). But now he has outdone himself with Titanic. I don't think there has ever been a film that has taken me through such a wide array of emotions as this one. And that is all attributed to Cameron. He wrote, produced and directed this film. And it is one of the best films ever made.

 

We all know the story of Titanic. A great ship sets sail for the U.S. from the U.K. and along the way it sinks and many people lost their lives in the Atlantic somewhere near Newfoundland. So there is no need to retell those events documentary style. A Night To Remember is there for that purpose. So what Cameron's Titanic does is tells the tale of fictitious characters blended in with real ones amidst the real events of the sinking. And it not only makes the film entertaining, it shows the sheer horror of what happened that night and makes you more sympathetic to the characters because you spend three hours with them. This is a brilliant, brilliant film.

To start with, the actors are perfect. Not just DiCaprio and Winslet, but everyone from Zane and Bates right down to Paxton as the present day treasure hunter. But it is Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio that are the true stars here as it the two of them that have to carry the load and make us care about them. And we do. We can feel them falling in love. We can feel the helpless emotions that Jack feels when he is trying to tell Rose that he loves her the day of the sinking. It is their relationship that is a great strength of the film.

Next, what has to be mentioned is the score by James Horner. Very few times has a motion picture had a score that symbolized the sheer hopelessness and tragedy that is on screen. But here Horner has a perfect and somber piece of music that will bring tears to your eyes, especially when lives and love are lost.

 

Also, the whole scope of the film is one of tragedy. It is a tragic love story, a tragic story of refugees trying to make a better life for themselves and have it all end abruptly with a giant piece of ice. It is a sad look at bureaucracy and wealth and how it can manipulate and control many things.

But most importantly, this is a love story and an inspirational tearjerker. Rose and Jack fall fast and hard and it doesn't matter that they are from different worlds. Love sees no boundaries. If it is there, nothing can stop it. Not even death.

Titanic is perfect in every sense. And as a guy, it is my duty not to cry in movies. I know how ridiculously old fashioned that sounds but it is true. We just aren't supposed to. But I left my testosterone at the door and when I finally let go, I found myself brought to tears as the scenes of children clinging for life in the frigid waters would be enough to bring the strongest man to tears. Cameron has manipulated us to perfection here and even if you find the romance to be embellished (which I don't) to watch this film and know that this happened, is a sad and disturbing reality. Few films have ever done this to me. Few have ever made me feel such a connection to the characters. Titanic does, and by the end of the film, you feel like you know the people of Titanic like they were your long lost relatives. 

 

And one final note: I can't understand how anyone could not enjoy the film, that's just me. But I know that what moves some does nothing for others. But the backlash towards this film is not necessary. Not every film has to be Ramboesque. Not every film has to be filled with explosions. I am not opposed to those films, I actually love many of them, but I am also prone to well written stories, whether they are love stories or not. Those who criticize this film need to realize that there is a market for this. The gross for this film and the demographics it appealed to confirm that.

As for the comment made earlier about those of us that enjoyed it being teens and have never seen a film before 1990, well I am 27, my brother is 24, my mom is 50 something and my grandmother is in her 80's. And we all loved it. So keep that in mind. And a film does not gross 2 BILLION dollars by having only teens see it.

This is as good as a film gets!

One final note. The SE DVD finally came out and it was worth the wait. The transfer is beautiful and if you are like me and love DVD's so you can access the special features, then this disc is for you. The commentary alone by Cameron makes the disc worth spending your money on. Cameron doesn't do a lot of commentaries, but the ones he does are perhaps the most insightful commentaries out there. Titanic, he outdoes himself. I really recommend everyone who loves this film to get the SE DVD and just sit back for 3 hours and listen to what he has to say.

 

Trivia:  When Jack is preparing to draw Rose, he says to her, "Lie on that bed, uh, I mean couch." The line was scripted "Lie on that couch", but Leonardo DiCaprio made an honest mistake and James Cameron liked it so much he kept it in.

 

After finding out that she had to be naked in front of Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winsletdecided to break the ice, and when they first met, she flashed him.

 

When James Cameron was writing the movie, he intended for the main characters Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson to be entirely fictitious. It was only after the script was finished that he discovered that there had been a real "J. Dawson" who died aboard the Titanic. This "J. Dawson" was trimmer Joseph Dawson, who had been born September 1888 in Dublin, Ireland. His body was salvaged and buried at Fairview Lawn cemetery in Nova Scotia with many other Titanic victims. Today, his grave stone (#227) is the most widely visited in the cemetery.

[baumer]

14) First Blood (1982)

Ted Kotcheff

Prodcued by Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna

 

They drew first blood, not me.

 

First Blood is simply one of the best films ever made. I think it transcends the action film genre and has stood the test of time. Stallone was immensely popular back in the 80's and if it is true that he hated the first cut of the film, then one can only say that he is lucky that he didn't get his wish to scrap the entire thing.

John Rambo is first introduced to us as he is walking into a small town to look for a friend of his that he served in Vietnam with. Upon discovering that he contracted cancer coming back from the war, Rambo wanders aimlessly into town. He is greeted by a small- town overzealous sheriff named Will Teasle, played wonderfully by Brian Dennehy. At first he tells Rambo that he will help him out and give him a ride. When Rambo asks if he can find a good place to eat, Teasle directs him to a diner about 10 miles up the highway. Rambo asks if there is a law against him eating in the town, Teasle, says yea, me. This sets up the premise as Rambo begins walking back into town. Arrested for vagrancy, Rambo is taken to the local jail and we meet some of the local redneck officers, notably, a young David Caruso, who seems to be the only one who empathizes with Rambo. Finally, he escapes the jail and takes the entire small town sheriff department and the military on a hunt into the local "jungle." 

First Blood has strength of character. It has frenetic action scenes and every actor in the film is at the top of their game. Samuel Trautman, Rambo's mentor and former Colonel in the war, is played by Richard Crenna as a no nonsense but empathetic man. He knows Rambo has pushed back a little too hard but he understands where his plight comes from. He wants to avoid more bloodshed but at the same time he doesn't completely agree with how Rambo has been treated. He is obviously a law abiding citizen, but he knows that not all the laws were upheld when dealing with Rambo.

 

Sylvester Stallone is RAMBO. There is no one else that could play him. Just like Harrison Ford embodies Indiana Jones and Bruce Willis is John McClane, Stallone is about as good as he has ever been here. He is quiet, he is strong and his physicality creates a character that many of us can empathize with and eventually root for. David Morell wrote a different character in his book but Stallone paints him more as a sympathetic character. He is correct in doing so. While Morell's vision is still present, this is more of Stallone's creation.

First Blood is a film released in 1982, but in my opinion it set a new standard for action film stars.  Before Rambo became larger than life, he was realistic. He bleeds, he cries, and he wears his emotion on his sleeve. This is someone that many of us could and can relate to. The sequels made him seem invincible and that is fine, but this small film done by the Carolco guys is about as perfect as they come.

 

 

Trivia:  A plot point that was present in the novel but absent from the film was the primary reason behind Teasle's resentment and contempt towards Rambo, which was that Rambo was a veteran of the Vietnam War, which gained a lot of attention, whereas Teasle was a veteran of the Korean War; a war which most people had all-but-completely-forgotten at this point in time.

 

According to Sylvester Stallone, first rough cut of the movie was 195 minutes long.

 

Sylvester Stallone hated the first cut of the film so much that he tried to buy the film back and destroy it. When he couldn't do that, he suggested that the producers cut much of his part and let the rest of the characters tell the story. That cut the movie time in half and set a precedent for future action movies.

[baumer]

13) Terminator 2

James Cameron]

Produced by Kassar and Gale Anne Hurd

 

It's in your nature to destroy yourselves

 

My top 25 films are littered with James Cameron's work.  There are so few directors that can make films the way he can. In fact I would go out on a limb here and say that besides Spielberg,  no one can make films the way he can. Terminator was a great film. But T2 is really heads and shoulders above it. Sequels don't usually surpass the original, but this one sure did.

T2 explores so many of the same issues as the first one but it goes deeper into them. It gives us more visuals of what a desolate future would be like after a nuclear war. And it gives more reason to be pessimistic towards our own species. " We're not going to make it, are we? " John asks the Terminator. " It's in your nature to desroy yourselves. " How chilling is that? And how true? As a sci-fi/action movie, this is one of the best. But this could also be taken on the same level as a horror film. Just an incredibly expensive and well made horror film.

 

This film has a bigger budget and it had higher expectations but it did not cease from being dark and intelligent enough to make us think. It also has some great humour. And Arnold doesn't disappoint, he utter the famous line " I'll be back! "

T2 is a movie miracle. It's considered to be one of the finest action films and yet has a moving message.

 

Trivia:  A female passer-by actually wandered onto the biker bar set thinking it was real, despite walking past all the location trucks, cameras and lights. Seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger standing in the bar dressed only in boxer shorts, she wondered aloud what was going on, only for Schwarzenegger to reply that it was male stripper night.

 

Industrial Light and Magic's computer graphics department had to grow from six artists to almost 36 to accommodate all the work required to bring the T-1000 to life, costing $5.5 million and taking 8 months to produce, which ultimately amounted to 3.5 minutes of screen time.

[The Stingray]

Teasle: Are you telling me that 200 of our men against your boy is a no-win situation for us?

Trautman: You send that many, don't forget one thing.

Teasle: What?

Trautman: A good supply of body bags.

[baumer]

12) Pulp Fiction (1994)

Quentin Tarantino

 

My original review

 

Before I go into how great this film is, I have to first tell you something that I know everyone thinks but so few have commented on, and that is the performance of Ving Rhames. For those of you that have seen this film, you all know what I am going to say is the gospel, for those of you that haven't, if you ever see a film for a singular performance, see two films. One is Tombstone because of Val Kilmer and the other is Pulp Fiction for Rhames. His portrayal of Marcellus Wallace is one of the greatest performances in the history of motion pictures. His mannerisms, his dialect, his virility, his coolness and his ruthlessness all should have given him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year, even over Samuel Jackson. Just think back to some of this lines, some of his actions and some of his facial expressions.

 

 

Just look at the scene when Jules talks to him after the Marvin problem. Jules is freaking out and Wallace calmly responds " I'm on the m*****f***a, go back inside and chill them niggas out, I'm sending in tha Wolf. " As he delivers the line he is serenely sitting in his backyard with his cool shades covering his malicious eyes and he is wiping his mouth with an expensive hanky. His delivery is perfect and when you listen to him you don't think this is a ruthless killer, he is just a guy next door with a very nice house. And what makes it even better is that they are two gangsters talking about alleviating the Bonnie situation before she gets home. These are two bad ass criminals that are in the business of killing people and they are attempting to save a man's marriage by removing a dead body from the garage. That is just dripping with contradictions, but it works because of the writing and because of the delivery, mostly by Rhames.

 

 

Another scene that demonstrates his grasp of his character is the rape scene. When he finally gets around to his comeuppance against " Billy Boy ", he spits out his dialogue with such venom that while you are cheering his triumph, you are actually worried for Zed and his soon-to-be-living-his-shortass-life-in-agonizing-pain-rapist situation. And then when he talks to Butch, he is fair and thankful for Butch's assistance but cannot forget how Butch betrayed him. " Oh that what now. I'll tell you what now. There is no me and you. You leave town tonight and when you be gone you stay gone. You lost all your L.A. privledges. " Ving Rhames is my favourite part of the film ( besides the ridiculously intelligent and original script ) and quoting him is now a daily regimen at work with my other friends that like the film. I think Tarantino is so smart for casting Rhames in this role and what it makes it that much better is knowing that Rhames is one of the most humble men in Hollywood, remember when he gave back his Emmy to Jack Lemmon as he tearfully said that he hadn't paid enough dues yet and Lemmon was one of his idols? The man can do no wrong in my eyes. He is one of a kind.

 

As for the rest of Pulp Fiction, this is a film that will often be imitated but never duplicated. That is an old cliche but it is so true in this case. It is completely original and without a doubt, what makes it so original and so great is simply the writing. What other film can have gangsters talking about foot massages and the importance of them just before they are about to perform a hit. What other film can describe in great detail what a pilot for a film is and then talk about a man that fell through a four story window and develop a speech impediment, all before entering into a room to ramble on about the Bible and how tasty the burgers are before executing them with extreme prejudice. There is a simple and definitive answer to that question, no film. Pulp fiction takes violence and surrounds it with every day conversations with people that seem to be in a different world yet they jump through some strange porthole and into ours by discussing things like blueberry muffins, how good coffee is, cleaning a blood smeared car with domesticated products that are located under Jimmy's sink, oral pleasure, speaking Bora Bora, getting day jobs as opposed to robbing banks, being cool like Fonzie and five dollar milkshakes.

 

 

How and where Tarantino thought of this script is beyond me, all I know is that my film life and even my life is richer now that I have seen Pulp Fiction. I can understand why this film was passed over at the Oscars for Forrest Gump, but in most people's opinion this was the best film of 1994. I loved Gump and Shawshank Redemption (both made this list) but I also loved Pulp Fiction and if it would have won Best Picture that year I would have been just as happy. Pulp Fiction is one of the best films ever made and it will be remembered into the new millennium and my bet is that when film people are talking about the best films of the last 200 years ( when it is about to turn 2100 ) Pulp Fiction is going to be one of them mentioned.

 

When you can have Christopher Walken talk with a straight face about hiding a watch in a place that was not meant to store medal, have Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth talk seriously about robbing a restaurant, have Travolta and Jackson talk about walking the Earth like Kane in Kung Fu, have Eric Stoltz shout at his wife to find his little black medical book before he gives a shot to an O.D-ing Uma Thurman, have Harvey Keitel appear in a full tuxedo at 8:00 AM and then appear on the scene to "solve problems" have Tarantino appear himself as a guy that knows the difference between gourmet coffee and the crappy stuff his wife buys, have Bruce Willis decide what weapon he is going to use to stop the bad guys, have Ving Rhames talk about having a guy pop out of a bowl of rice and "pop a cap" in someone's ass if he shows up in Indo-China and have it all make sense, well you have something special.

 

Pulp Fiction isn't a movie, it is an experience, it is a gift to film fans. This is a film that takes all that you have ever known about film and bludgeons it to death with a pen and paper. It redefines what is acceptable and what is off beat and all it asks you to do is enjoy this film for 2 and a half hours. I did, immensely, and I think most people will, and have. If you really have not seen this, then you are robbing yourself of one of the best cinematic experiences. 

 

 

 

Trivia:  Samuel L. Jackson auditioned for the part of the guy who trains Mr. Orange in Reservoir Dogs (1992), but it went to Randy Brooks. Tarantino enjoyed Jackson's work so much that he wrote the part of Jules specifically for him.

 

In the diner when Mia orders her $5 shake, "Buddy Holly" (the waiter, Steve Buscemi) asks her if she wants it "Martin and Lewis or Amos and Andy?" He is referring to two comedy duos - Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, two white men; The Amos 'n Andy Show(1951), two black men. Basically, he is asking her if she wants a vanilla shake or a chocolate shake. She has vanilla.

 

Quentin Tarantino wrote "The Wolf" character specifically for Harvey Keitel

Edited March 6, 2015 by baumer

[baumer]

And one more before we get to the top ten.

[Sam]

Pulp Fiction didn't make your Top Ten? I'm a bit disappointed

But great write-up, B!

[baumer]

11) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Tobe Hooper

 

 This film was a dark disturbing look at a family gone mad. They have no reason, no remorse and no pity for doing the things that they do. The only thing I can even think of is that they have all worked at a slaughter house and the daily grind of taking an animal's life has desensitized them to the value of life, whether it be human or animal. I found it quite interesting that the film goes into great detail on how a cow is killed. Because what that does (besides gross us out) is it shows how sadistic a process it is to get our meat from the animal that it came from to the cellophane wrappers in the grocery store. And then when these butchers do the same thing to the humans in the story, it becomes more real, more disturbing and more eye opening. It makes the characters helpless. And it easy to live vicariously through the characters in this film, especially the main (Sally) character. You can see how mad she has become by going through what she has. She has been brutalized in almost every way you can imagine. Physically, she is a mess, but psychologically she would never be the same after her experience. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a rare film that shows that you don't need special effects or even a large budget to make a scary film. All you need is some ingenuity, a vision and a horrific story. TCM has all three.

 

Last House On The Left was disturbing because it was mean and graphic, TCM is disturbing because I have never felt that a film was more of a documentary than a Hollywood film. And that is perhaps why Hollywood can not produce really good horror films, because they all try to put their own take on things and then edit the hell out of the film. Some of the best horror films have been independents ( Halloween, Evil Dead and TCM ). I don't for one second believe that Sally is an actor. To me she really went through this nightmare. She really was tortured by a sick family of cannibals. Her performance was one of sheer terror. When she screams, you believe that it is real. It felt and looked like Tobe Hooper just put a camera at this house and film all that went on there. And there really has to be a Leatherface. He felt that real. Also, the fact that there was absolutely no lighting can be attributed to two things. 1) I know they had no budget. But secondly, the darkness adds to the fear, the paranoia and the mass confusion that this movie makes us experience. There are times when you don't know what's going on. All you hear is that disgusting buzz saw. And you know it is close, but just not how close. I really believe that the lighting, or lack there of, is really a good element that this film possesses. 

 

Guerilla film making can work and it can suck.  Here, it works better than any other film I have seen.  The cast spent days in a smelly, dilapidated house filming the dinner table scene.  Air wasn't present and this caused frustrations to boil over.  Marilyn Burns acftually took a knife and cut herself for a scene because the blood tubing wasn't working.  She also really cut herself on branches as she was being chased by Gunnar Hansen.

 

 

You simply can't make a film like this anymore.  Today's Hollywood is too polished and too prim.  This is an experience of pure terror.   Fear... is to know The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

 

Trivia:  When it was first released, the film was so horrifying that people actually walked out on sneak previews for it.

 

The actress whose character, Pam, was hung up on a meat hook was actually held up by a nylon cord that went between her legs, initially thought to have caused considerable pain the actress later stated that she felt very little pain

 

Even in his lift boots, Gunnar Hansen could run faster than Marilyn Burns, so he had to do random things when chasing her through the woods (you'll notice in one head-on shot that he starts slicing up tree branches in the background).

Edited March 6, 2015 by baumer

[The Stingray]

lol PF didn't even crack the top 10. This really is a stupid, ridiculous and uninformed list...

[baumer]

The next three:

 

A Goonie and a Concentration Camp survivor try to save the world

Dodge this

Gorman always was an asshole

Truck?  What Truck?

Edited March 6, 2015 by baumer

[baumer]

10) The Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Peter Jackson

 

When one begins to write one's sentiments regarding a movie such as Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic Lord of the Rings trilogy, the main problem isn't having difficulty finding things to remark upon - the main problem is knowing where to begin. The Fellowship of the Ring essentially redefined the term "quality", in its extraordinary ability to vastly succeed the already unreasonably high expectations of audiences and die-hard fans of the novels everywhere. 

 

It becomes difficult to avoid bias by painting the film with outlandish and likely unreasonable praises, but I must confess I could go on for literally pages pointing out how blown away I still am by virtually every aspect of this movie, the first, and in my opinion, strongest as a film of the trilogy. So I'll try to keep it concise - Jackson has truly brought the novels to life in a fashion one could never have imaged short of actually seeing it for themselves. The sets and appearance of Middle Earth are among the greatest ever created, an impeccable blend of CGI, constructed sets, and the already breathtaking landscapes of beautiful New Zealand. The beautiful cinematography brings this all to light again, in the best sense of the word - seldom does a movie look so, simply put, beautiful. The costumes and appearances of the various creatures and inhabitants of Middle Earth are once again, mind-blowing - some of the best and most convincing computer generated images are on display in these movies. This is all punctuated by Howard Shore's simply gorgeous and incredibly moving Oscar winning score.

Acting is also simply nothing less than astounding, with every cast member not only seeming torn straight out of the pages of the novels, born to play their role, but also turning out pretty much flawless performances around the board. There are standouts of course, especially Sir Ian McKellan's now career defining turn as the warm yet incredibly wise and powerful wizard Gandalf, Viggo Mortenson's wonderful flawed yet noble hero Aragorn, Sean Bean's excellent and truly touching portrayal of the quintessential flawed male character Boromir, Elijah Wood as the good hearted lead character, the innocent hobbit Frodo Baggins, and Sean Aston as his faithful and loyal companion Samwise, and Christopher Lee as the corrupted and now evil wizard Saruman the White. Then there is of course the absurdly underrated Andy Serkis' mind blowing portrayal of the creature Gollum. Though mainly seen in the next two films, Serkis already manages to make a powerful first impression with his 2 minutes or less of screen time. 

As many of you know, I don't think the sequels managed to get anywhere close to the quality of the first film.  Although to be fair, I have watched all three films again recently and TTT and ROTK have gotten better.  But they simply cannot compare to the first.  This is almost as good as it gets.  

 

 

Trivia:

 

Gandalf's painful encounter with a ceiling beam in Bilbo's hobbit-hole was not in the script - Ian McKellen banged his forehead against the beam accidentally, not on purpose. But Peter Jackson thought McKellen did a great job "acting through" the mistake, and so kept it in.

 

Veteran sword master Bob Anderson called Viggo Mortensen "the best swordsman I've ever trained".

 

Orlando Bloom (Legolas) did most of his own stunts and broke a rib in the process.

Edited March 6, 2015 by baumer

[IndustriousAngel]

I have to admit I've never seen Titanic ...