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

[Avatree]

6 minutes ago, cannastop said:

How about you adjust for inflation? 

Oh shit yeah, sorry.

 

Adjusted for inflation:

 

Potter: $3.04B

Batman: $3.19B

MCU: $4.2B

Bond: $5.61B

Star Wars: $5.89B

 

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2016 by Treecraft

[baumer]

Ok, just putting together some last minute things and then off we go with the first few.  I had some rest today and feel pretty refreshed.  There is no playoff hockey on tonight and I am free and clear for a while.  So I might get quite a few done tonight, maybe ten.

 

A couple of bullet points:

 

These are films that I feel have either really influenced me or are important to me

These are films that have historical importance

Some of these films will not have historical importance or influence to anyone but me.

This list is purposely keeping documentaries.....save 1, that I just can't ignore because it did more to change me than almost any film has.... off the list.  However, this documentary will not be number one. 

I hope I don't bore some of you with films you have no interest in.

Yes, I will be wrong @Treecraft

Yes Friday the 13th may or may not make the list

Harry Potter HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

There's a good chance Jaws will too....not sure about number one though

Should be fun.

The first one will be up in about ten or fifteen minutes

 

[James]

30 minutes ago, Treecraft said:

Domestic:

Potter: $2.39B

Star Wars: $3.18B

MCU: $3.71B

 

Worldwide:

Potter: $7.7B

MCU: $10.2B

 

LOL. MCU is not a franchise. It's 8-9 franchises combined.

[Avatree]

Just now, James said:

LOL. MCU is not a franchise. It's 8-9 franchises combined.

Is Fantastic Beasts part of the Harry Potter franchise?

[James]

25 minutes ago, Treecraft said:

Oh shit yeah, sorry.

 

Adjusted for inflation:

 

Potter: $3.04B

Batman: $3.19B

MCU: $4.2B

Bond: $5.61B

Star Wars: $5.89B

 

 

 

 

Who cares about DOM. The US is just a country among 100+ others.

[James]

Just now, Treecraft said:

Is Fantastic Beasts part of the Harry Potter franchise?

Of course not. It is a trilogy of it's own even if it takes place in the same universe. Same with TH/LOTR.

[Ethan Hunt]

5 minutes ago, James said:

. MCU is not a franchise

What do you wanna call it then?

[baumer]

Number 50

Enter the Dragon (1973)

Bruce Lee, John Saxon

Directed by Robert Clouse

 

 

 

 

Box Office:  Unknown

Quick Synopsis as to why it is important:  American kung fu movies exploded after and it clearly got Bruce Lee enshrined into the American conscience.

Imdb synopsis:  Enter the Dragon revolves around the three main characters. Lee, a man recruited by an agency to investigate a tournament hosted by Han, since they believe he has an Opium trade there. Roper and Williams are former army buddies since Vietnam and they enter the tournament due to different problems that they have. Roper is on the run from the Mafia due to his gambling debts, while Williams is harassed by racist police officers and defends himself from them and uses the car for his getaway. It is a deadly tournament that they will enter on an island. Lee's job is to get the other two out of there alive.

Why it is important:  Sometimes wrongly referred to as "poor man's James Bond movie", Enter the Dragon is the movie that brought martial-arts into the popular consciousness of the west and the legendary enigma of Bruce Lee into the hearts and minds of millions of teenage wannabe's. It's the perfect vehicle to show off the brilliance of Lee's martial-arts ability as he kicks, punches and chops his way through 98 minutes of beautifully choreographed and electrifying action. Enter the Dragon was not just a brainless action flick, it, as Lee intended showed off Chinese culture to the world. Jackie Chan also appears very briefly only to get his neck snapped by a devastating Lee.

Although Lee tragically died just a few days before its release, the film has gone to receive enduring popularity, and not just with martial arts film fans either. Lee's final screen appearance was doused in kinetic energy as it made famous a genre that has long disappeared from mainstream American cinema and the biggest regret about the film is that it was Lee's last as his lightning moves were imitated by young boys worldwide. Enter the Dragon kick-started the martial arts craze in the 70's and ensures that the Dragon's legacy lives on.

Iconic Image(s) from the film: Bruce Lee with the bloody claw marks on his stomach and chest.  

Why it's important to me:  I've always felt that this is the martial arts movie to compare everything else to.  With John Saxon co-starring and Bruce Lee doing things that we had never seen before, this one took me by storm.  I remember seeing it at around the age of maybe 7 or 8 years old.  At the age of ten I asked my parents to let me join Tae Kwan Do.  The martial arts fascinated me as a youngster and it was mainly due to the Saturday afternoon TV movies I used to watch and of course because of Lee.  But not only was Lee a great actor and a terrific martial artist, he was a legend.  He had great wisdom and saw things differently than many did.  Enter The Dragon might be the best martial arts film ever made and it certainly influenced everyone from Jean Claude Van Damme to Jeff Speakman to Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

[75Live]

@Baumer thanks for the tag and can't wait for the countdown

 

and it's off to a great start already

 

Enter the Dragon is awesome on so many levels

Edited May 31, 2016 by 75live

[baumer]

Number 49

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Haley Joel Osment, Bruce Willis

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Box Office:  293 million domestic.  672.8 million World Wide

Quick synopsis as to why it is important:  The pioneer of the modern twist.

Imdb Synopsis:  Malcom Crowe (Bruce Willis)is a child psychologist who receives an award on the same night that he is visited by a very unhappy ex-patient. After this encounter, Crowe takes on the task of curing a young boy with the same ills as the ex-patient (Donnie Wahlberg) . This boy "sees dead people". Crowe spends a lot of time with the boy much to the dismay of his wife (Olivia Williams). Cole's mom (Toni Collette) is at her wit's end with what to do about her son's increasing problems. Crowe is the boy's only hope.

Why it's important:  The Sixth Sense isn’t a bloodfest or a whodunnit thriller: some may make the case it isn’t even a horror movie. But the quiet dialogue, the doe-eyed Osment and the sporadic yelp of violins create a tangible sense of dread that makes watching it an overwhelmingly freaky experience.

There is a scene in The Sixth Sense where tiny Cole, played by Osment, is squirming on the precipice of his bedroom. Cole a) desperately needs a wee, but sees ghosts, so he is understandably scared about crossing over the invisible line of safety of his bedroom door. He eventually waddles to the loo and lets loose, as the thermostat ominously lowers and something starts crinkling packets in the kitchen …  This is a film that basically ushered in the twist ending.  One can argue that The Usual Suspects did ti four years earlier but not in this manner.  After The Sixth Sense, a plethora of copycats came out but none of them were as raw and real and The Sixth Sense.

Iconic Images or scenes from the film:  Young Cole telling Malcolm that he sees dead people.

Why it's Important to me:  Horror is my favourite genre and in a year that had imo three very good horror films (one of them might make this list as well), this stood tall and did something fresh and original.  It had the balls to tell a good story but with a twist that had everyone guessing, and yet it shouldn't have.  All the signs were there to figure out that Crowe  was the ghost, but we were so enraptured with the film that we chose to ignore that which was right in front of us.  Shyamalan is even on record as saying he's shocked the twist stayed a secret because David wore the same clothes in every scene.  When horror is done right, it's special.  This one is done right and it's very special.  It came out 17 years ago and it pretty much single-handedly changed the way horror films were made. 

 

 

 

[cannastop]

1 hour ago, Baumer said:

 

Iconic Images or scenes from the film:  Young Cole telling David that he sees dead people.

Why it's Important to me:  Horror is my favourite genre and in a year that had imo three very good horror films (one of them might make this list as well), this stood tall and did something fresh and original.  It had the balls to tell a good story but with a twist that had everyone guessing, and yet it shouldn't have.  All the signs were there to figure out that David  was the ghost, but we were so enraptured with the film that we chose to ignore that which was right in front of us.  Shyamalan is even on record as saying he's shocked the twist stayed a secret because David wore the same clothes in every scene.  When horror is done right, it's special.  This one is done right and it's very special.  It came out 17 years ago and it pretty much single-handedly changed the way horror films were made. 

 

 

 

David?

[baumer]

Number 48

The Jazz Singer (1927)

Al Jolson

Directed by Alan Crossland

 

 

Box Office:  7.93 Million

Quick Synopsis why it's important:  Not the first 'talkie' but the first feature length Hollywood talkie with spoken word sequences. Jazz legend, Al Jolson is the star of the film, bursting into song and the audiences loved it.

Imdb Summary: Cantor Rabinowitz is concerned and upset because his son Jakie shows so little interest in carrying on the family's traditions and heritage. For five generations, men in the family have been cantors in the synagogue, but Jakie is more interested in jazz and ragtime music. One day, they have such a bitter argument that Jakie leaves home for good. After a few years on his own, now calling himself Jack Robin, he gets an important opportunity through the help of well-known stage performer Mary Dale. But Jakie finds that in order to balance his career, his relationship with Mary, and his memories of his family, he will be forced to make some difficult choices.

Why it's important: Being the first feature length talkie with spoken word sequences, its legacy is well-known and it has been remade numerous times including one such time in 1980 by Neil Diamond and Laurence Olivier.

The film is exceptionally well structured and the central character played by Al Jonson is intriguing and complex and the film expresses some interesting themes. The Jazz Singer is one purely for cinephiles as much of it has not aged well, and it may not be the greatest or most entertaining film of all time but it changed cinema forever.

Why it's important to me:  I didn't see this film until well into my thirties.  But I did see the Neil Diamond 1980 remake and remarkably it was one of my favourite films growing up.  I loved the story of immigrants coming to America and one of them following his heart to be a singer.  The song America, sung by Neil Diamond, gave my parents chills.  My father used to break out in song and sing the lyrics to it and this in turn caused to me to do the same from time to time.  The 1927 film isn't really important to me in terms of what it is but it did give me and my family the remake and that film became something that we as a family, watched together many times, and had it recorded off HBO.

 

 

 

 

[James]

Ok. 3 movies already and I've only heard of one of them. That's a promising start

[somebody85]

Hah interested to see it! I could never do an all time list, there is so many movies I've forgotten about through the years. I could do a list of the past decade (I would still forget many) but not all time.

A lot of movies I'd pass as being fun (doing their job) but not being great.

 

[baumer]

Number 47

Iron Man (2008)

Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard

Directed by Jon Favreau

 

 

Box office:  318 million domestic and 585 million World Wide 

Quick Synopsis why it's important:  More than Spider-man, this is the film that ushered in the Marvel super hero craze that has been going ever since.

Imdb Summary:  After being held captive in an Afghan cave, a billionaire engineer creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.

Why it's important:  DC comics had The Dark Knight coming out the same year and everyone was pretty sure that with the joker being part of it, it was going to blow up.  Spider-man 3 had basically just killed Marvel's biggest money maker the year before.  There were all kinds of stories that could be told that originated from the comics, but Marvel chose one of their lesser known heroes and cast an unstable and far from box office draw, Robert Downey Jr to play the lead.  They even gave Terrence Howard a ridiculous payment of 10 million dollars to be in it.  The result is something no one saw coming except for maybe Kevin Feige.  Iron Man began the Avengers stories and Marvel has never looked back since.  Robert Downey Jr's career was resurrected and now he is by far the highest paid actor in the world.  Disney bought Marvel for 4 billion in 2009 and at the time many people thought they overpaid.  This has turned out to be one of the best acquisitions of a studio perhaps in the history of film.  I don't have the exact numbers in front of me but the amount that Marvel's Avengers movies have grossed starting with Iron Man has got to exceed 10 billion by now.  This film started the craze.  Hollywood has changed since 2008, I'm not sure if it's for the good of bad, but it has changed.  

Why it's important to me:  It's not really all that important to me except that I think it's the best solo film of the Avengers stable. 

[somebody85]

Already, The Sixth Sense. Easily one of the better horror movies of all time. I have no idea where I'd place that when ranking everything else with it.

[baumer]

14 minutes ago, James said:

Ok. 3 movies already and I've only heard of one of them. That's a promising start

 

Well, this is a list from a personal point of view and a historical one so you may have a hard time with some of them.

 

1 minute ago, somebody85 said:

Hah interested to see it! I could never do an all time list, there is so many movies I've forgotten about through the years. I could do a list of the past decade (I would still forget many) but not all time.

A lot of movies I'd pass as being fun (doing their job) but not being great.

 

 

This isn't necessarily a list about what are the 50 best or great films.....there will be a film or two on here that I don't necessarily like. 

[baumer]

Number 46

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Jessica Biehl, Eric Balfour, R. Lee. Ermey

Directed by Marcus Nispel

Produced by Michael Bay 

Production Companies (Notable) New Line and Platinum Dunes

 

 

 

Box Office:  107 million WW on a 9 million dollar budget

Quick synopsis on it's importance:  Platinum Dunes remade a lot of classic horror films after the massive success of this one.

Imdb summary:  Driving through the backwoods of Texas, five youths pick up a traumatized hitchhiker, who shoots herself in their van. Shaken by the suicide, the group seeks help from the locals, but their situation becomes even more surreal when they knock on the door of a remote homestead. It's quickly apparent the residents are a family of inbred psychopaths, and the unlucky youths suddenly find themselves running for their lives. In hot pursuit is a disfigured, chainsaw-wielding cannibal known as Leatherface.

Why it's important:  Horror goes through more ups and downs that perhaps any genre.  In 1999, a new genre of horror was born and for the most part, the found footage, pg-13, non slasher, micro-budget horror movie was on every studios wish list.   But when Platinum Dunes made the gory, rated R slasher remake of the classic 1974 film, they bucked the trends and proved that if you make a good film, a good horror film no less, then people will come.  This is also the film that started the classic horror film remake craze with Platinum Dunes being responsible for many of then including Friday the 13th and Amityville Horror.

Why it's important to me:   Everything about this film is done right.  From it's ominous and terrifying trailer, to it's cast of good looking young adults, to a director that had an astute understanding of what made the Texas Chainsaw legacy so veritable, Michael Bay and Brad Fuller just did everything right.  This film is arguably the best horror remake of all time, at least in my eyes.  It is something that scared the hell out of me and entertained me at the same time.  I get excited for good horror and I believe it's the hardest genre to perfect.  When I left the theater, I knew I had witnessed something special.  I admire Platinum Dunes and Bay and Fuller for taking risks and remaking classics, knowing full well that if they are not done right, a lot of people will shit all over them.  But this one had the tone, the feel and the look of the original.  And it made me appreciate the fresh take on this one and the classic feel of the original.

 

Check out the incredibly effective trailer that had people clamoring to see it. It's one of the best trailers I've ever seen.

 

 

 

[baumer]

Well, thanks for liking all my posts so far @Telemachos...you probably disagree with everything so far but at least you're reading it.

[baumer]

I think that's it for tonight.  But I'll be back tomorrow to tell you about a father who tells his son to give him the muthafucking gun and some little people who go off to work heigh ho while they do it.