Baumer's 50 most important films of all time (JFK 3, Earthlings 2.....FREE YOUR MIND! THE MATRIX NUMBER 1)

[Blankments]

I've only seen Iron Man and Snow White ._.

 

and maybe Free Willy, but if so, it was when I was like four so... lol

[James]

Potter made the list so it is by definition a good list.

[Avatree]

Seeing Harry Potter above 2001 makes me want to vomit a little bit.

[baumer]

Well @Treecraft, I'm not the biggest Potter fan but imo, Potter did more for the film industry than 2001 did.  

[baumer]

Will try to do a few more today....then it will be on hold for about 24 hours.

[RandomCat]

I've seen most of these. All accept They Live, and honestly, I'm surprised I haven't seen that one yet. Is it on Netflix?

 

Freewilly & Snow White: I've watched both of these, when I was a kid. I can remember iconic moments, but haven't had much a desire to return to them as an adult.

 

2001: A truly brilliant film that I can probably only watch once per-decade. I first saw it in highschool. I had actually read the book first. I was that kind of nerd. I forget if I read 2010 by the time I saw 2001 though. I had read 2010, 2060, and 3001 by the time I saw 2010. 2001 is a pretty perfect example of hard Sci-Fi. Everything is researched and documented and even down to some of the slavish boring minutia.

 

They Live: Haven't seen this movie. And I'll be perfectly honest it's kind of a crime I haven't yet.

 

Silence of the Lambs: Silence of the Lambs is another movie like the Sixth Sense that I'm not sure I'd call Horror, and split hairs to call it a Thriller. It's tense, exciting. Jodi Foster and Anthony Hopkins are brilliant. I can't really put enough praise on this film, it helps I rewatched it 6 months ago. A special mention has to go to Ted Levine for bringing Buffalo Bill to life, it's a strange character, and makes for some very memorable scenes.

 

Harry Potter: Potter is Potter. I have no comments really. It's a movie franchise that comes to mind every so often and forgotten about.

 

Gone with the Wind: Three movies I distinctly remember watching in class in Highschool. Gone with the Wind, Dances with Wolves, and Schindler's List (Twice!). All movies I'm glad I saw. and may have a desire to watch again, but like 2001, not for a while. I remember it being grandiose and brilliant to look at. And reminds me of watching a soap opera. In some ways you could cut this movie up into small chunks and air it day to day and it would work pretty good. I don't mean that as a criticism, I've watched a few soaps, and will fully admit that's what comics are, along with the MCU. It's a lot of Drama that drifts into Melodrama while looking beautiful while doing it.

 

Honestly, Schindler's List will probably get the replay before the other two, if just because World War 2 has more a fascination with me. Oh, I also saw Life is Beautiful in highschool. I remember enjoying that movie too.

[Chaz]

19 hours ago, Baumer said:

 

It's not really an opinion.  Its pretty much a fact.  There's no true range the way there is today.    I would say Adam Sandler is more realistic in film than someone like Bogart.  All they do in the black and white era is talk tough and speak in monotone.  

I'm dead and buried. RIP me. 

[baumer]

Number 36

Battleship Potemkin (1925)

A bunch of Russian actors

Directed by Sergei Eisenstein

 

 

 

Box Office:  Unknown

Quick:  The Odessa Steps

Imdb Summary:  Based on the historical events the movie tells the story of a riot at the battleship Potemkin. What started as a protest strike when the crew was given rotten meat for dinner ended in a riot. The sailors raised the red flag and tried to ignite the revolution in their home port Odessa.

Why it's important:  Sergei Eisenstein's silent classic dramatises the mutiny against the Tsarist regime on the Russian battleship, Potemkin. Eisenstein invented the montage and his revolutionary techniques took cinema to an entirely new level. One of the most famous propaganda films of all time - Battleship Potemkin was created so the viewer would sympathise the the boat's crew and despise the totalitarian Tsarist regime which was overthrown a mere decade before.

The film is simple, but so effective, unashamed of its goals and the acclaimed Odessa Steps sequence still looks ahead of its time today - the fact that sequence did not happen in real life does not diminish its power in the slightest. The famous sequence on the steps in The Untouchables is a clear rip off of the scene. Nazi propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels was a big fan and saw how Eisenstein effectively manipulated an audience - despite Goebbels having a very different political ideology to Eisenstein. The masterpiece, nearly a hundred years on, still maintains all of its emotive power and this big, bold and daring film is still a must watch.

Why it's important to me:  It's the first film I watched in film class when I was in film studies in my first year.  While it didn't really resonate with me, I was in awe of how something like this could be filmed in 1925.  It was pretty darned impressive.  It also gave me a huge appreciation for the Odessa Steps sequence.

[Jayhawk the Hutt]

Can't really disagree with the majority of the list, but I can't help but think you're putting a lot of these too low. But that's just my opinion of course. I'll have to see the rest of the list before making any real judgement.

[MCKillswitch123]

I think Snow White, Gone With The Wind and Battleship Potemkin are all reasonable top 10 contenders. I understand that your POV is also incorporated here, but still, a "most important films ever" list seems to favor more cold hard facts than simple opinions, and therefore, some of these movies were lowballed.

 

That being said, I only truly disagree w/Texas Chainsaw Massacre '03 (the original... maybe, if just for unofficially inventing the slasher, but the remake? The fuck, dude?), and I guess Free Willy. The rest are all good choices.

[baumer]

Number 35

Airplane (1980)

Robert Hayes, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges

Directed by the Zuckers and Abrhams

 

 

 

Box office:  83.4 million

Quick synopsis:  The birth of the spoof

Imdb summary:  This is a spoof of the airport disaster movies. When the crew of an airplane are struck by some form of virus, the fate of the passengers depends on an ex-war pilot who is the only one able to land the plane safely! The passengers represent a selection of interesting wacky characters who seem to take every word for its literal meaning.

Why it's important:  Airplane is unchallenged as one the funniest comedies of all time and the best spoof ever made. The jokes come at you at such a rapid pace it's impossible not to miss one, which makes it one of the few comedies you can come back to over and over again and never be bored. It's been over thirty years since Airplane was released and countless imitators have appeared, but nobody has ever come close let alone equalled the classic. It's the perfect mixture of satire, parody, surrealism, absurdity, puns, slapstick and sight gags, never relenting for its streamlined running time to make sure the jokes had the maximum impact.

The film has influenced everybody from the Farrelly brothers of There's Something About Mary fame to Seth Macfarlane and many of its jokes have been reworked, plagiarised and parodied by numerous movies and tv shows since. Everybody has quoted Airplane at some point - sometimes inadvertently - as many of its lines have entered the popular lexicon and it goes without saying that this is one of the most influential films of all time.

Why it's important to me:  

Airplane Captain (Peter Graves): Surely you can't be serious.

Doctor (Leslie Nielsen): I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.

This sort of humor went out with Milton Berle, Jerry Lewis, and knock-knock jokes. That's why it's so funny. Movie comedies these days are so hung up on being contemporary, radical, outspoken, and cynically satirical that they sometimes forget to be funny. And they've lost the nerve to be as corny as “Airplane!” — to actually invite loud groans from the audience. There might be more "intelligent comedies" but it doesn't mean they are funnier.  I love it when films take risks because when they work you get giants like this one.

[baumer]

7 minutes ago, Jayhawk said:

Can't really disagree with the majority of the list, but I can't help but think you're putting a lot of these too low. But that's just my opinion of course. I'll have to see the rest of the list before making any real judgement.

 

Oh they are definitely too low....but these are my opinions, there are no facts here.  I haven't even put Blair Witch on here yet....you guys might lose your minds when you see how high it ranks....and wait till you see what is at number three.  

 

[baumer]

You might even see a sequel to Twilight on here.  

[RandomCat]

6 minutes ago, Baumer said:

Quick synopsis:  The birth of the spoof

 

I may not know many spoofs, but Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), and High Anxiety (1977) say "Hello".

[baumer]

2 minutes ago, RandomJC said:

 

I may not know many spoofs, but Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), and High Anxiety (1977) say "Hello".

 

Yes, I know.  But imo, this is the birth of the spoof as no one did it better.

[RandomCat]

Just now, Baumer said:

 

Yes, I know.  But imo, this is the birth of the spoof as no one did it better.

 

I could be a smart ass and repeat my quote. I won't, but I will disagree on that statement.

[Jake Gittes]

20 minutes ago, MCKillswitch123 said:

That being said, I only truly disagree w/Texas Chainsaw Massacre '03 (the original... maybe, if just for unofficially inventing the slasher, but the remake? The fuck, dude?)

 

Even then the slasher goes back to at least the early '60s, Psycho and the first giallos

[baumer]

Well after I'm finished I would be more than happy to read someone else's opinion on the 50 most important films of all time. And then I too can comment and tell you guys how silly I think some of your choices are.

[baumer]

Unfortunately that is it for today. I won't be back at this until tomorrow evening. But it's been grand so far and we are just getting started.

[RascarCapat]

If you havn't already you might want to consider putting some of George Méliès' work in here. I guess Le Voyage dans la Lune is the most notable and easy pick.

 

I also hope we'll get to see Metropolis, The Wizzard of Oz and Star Wars. All these movies were way ahead of their time and I think had a major impact on modern cinema.