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

[xequalsy]

Should have kept up the troll for longer - barely any meltdowns in this thread over its placement. 

[baumer]

I wasn't kidding about Earthlings being draining.  It's tough for me to even talk about it.  Just to put it into perspective just a little.  It's my rabbit hole.  I have been down that hole and there is no coming back from it.  Every day...EVERY SINGLE DAY...an image from that film or from something else i have seen or read about, pops in my head.  It's just something I have to live with now.  But when you see a dog, get tossed like a candy bar wrapper, into a garbage truck, and hear it scream as it is being crushed to death, it's not an image or a sound that leaves you easily.  

 

I'm going to take a break, make some Kraft Dinner lol and then come back for the number one film.

 

Thanks to everyone who has taken an interest with a like, a comment or just reading my thoughts.  Most appreciated.

[baumer]

5 minutes ago, xequalsy said:

Should have kept up the troll for longer - barely any meltdowns in this thread over its placement. 

 

True.....but I want to try to finish the list before the hockey game starts.  

[Fancyarcher]

6 minutes ago, xequalsy said:

Should have kept up the troll for longer - barely any meltdowns in this thread over its placement. 

 

Most people are already familiar with Baumer's love for the Twilight saga, so there's no real shock by it being on this list.

Edited June 6, 2016 by Daniel Dylan Davis

[baumer]

2 minutes ago, Daniel Dylan Davis said:

 

Most people are already familiar with Baumer's love for the Twilight saga, so there's no real shock by it being on this list.

 

It was a joke though.

[Ozymandias]

Baumer's #1 will be one of the three

 

[Fancyarcher]

4 minutes ago, Baumer said:

 

It was a joke though.

 

Oh (slaps head - idiot). Well, you sure fooled me.

[narniadis]

LOL at the Baumer trolling with Twilight....

 

JFK is a fantastic film - and like with Baumer it along with several books I read in highschool really opened my eyes to the "otherside" of the political sphere. then 9/11 happened and the same crap all over again....

 

Sees #2 (looks at the chicken on my salad) well - I know how that bird died and it was as humane as possible considering what was happening. (helps when you self process a lot of things and don't rely on store bought / tortured meats.)

[75Live]

42 minutes ago, Baumer said:

I wasn't kidding about Earthlings being draining.  It's tough for me to even talk about it.  Just to put it into perspective just a little.  It's my rabbit hole.  I have been down that hole and there is no coming back from it.  Every day...EVERY SINGLE DAY...an image from that film or from something else i have seen or read about, pops in my head.  It's just something I have to live with now.  But when you see a dog, get tossed like a candy bar wrapper, into a garbage truck, and hear it scream as it is being crushed to death, it's not an image or a sound that leaves you easily.  

 

I'm going to take a break, make some Kraft Dinner lol and then come back for the number one film.

 

Thanks to everyone who has taken an interest with a like, a comment or just reading my thoughts.  Most appreciated.

 

I've seen this and I get where you are coming from, it is pretty brutal to watch and can definitely stay with you.  I get why you have it on the list.

[baumer]

Number 1

The Matrix (1999)

Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie Anne Moss

Directed by the Wachowskis

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

 

"You think that's air your breathing?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Box Office:  171 million and 463 WW

Quick:  Free your mind

Imdb Summary:  During the year 1999, a man named Thomas Anderson (also known as Neo), lives an ordinary life. A software techie by day and a computer hacker by night, he sits alone at home by his monitor, waiting for a sign, a signal - from what or whom he doesn't know - until one night, a mysterious woman named Trinity seeks him out and introduces him to that faceless character he has been waiting for: Morpheus. A messiah of sorts, Morpheus presents Neo with the truth about his world by shedding light on the dark secrets that have troubled him for so long.

Why it's important:  

The Wachowki's take their love of Hong Kong cinema, the work of Lewis Carroll and sci-fi to create the most influential action movie of their generation. Pioneering the "bullet time" effect, which is a shot that takes place in slow-motion whilst the camera moves at a normal speed. Action filmmaking in Hollywood changed as a result, with directors forced to match the level of sophistication on display in The Matrix' action scenes. There was an improved focus on wire work and Asian fight choreographers were now in demand after The Matrix mesmerised audiences. There was also a resurgence in popularity for Asian martial-arts flicks and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a huge critical and commercial success in America a year later, which probably would not have happened without the popularity of The Matrix.

Like another trilogy, Star Wars, The Matrix inadvertently changed cinema overnight and a thousand imitators were spawned. The two follow up movies were very poor in comparison to the groundbreaking original as they focus on pseudo-intelligent philosophical rabble that serves no purpose other than to prove the Wachowski's have read a bit of Plato. The Matrix is extraordinarily ambitious, its action being the benchmark for modern action movies. It catapulted Carrie-Anne Moss to stardom and the role of Neo perfectly fits Keanu Reaves' limited acting abilities. It's a significant, pioneering, ultra-cool modern masterpiece.

Why it's important to me:  The Matrix, like Instinct, Earthlings and JFK (and others that did not make this list) allowed me to open my mind.  This is not just a movie about computers ruling the world.  This is a movie about humanity being asleep.  We really are living in the Matrix.  We are distracted by everything else except what we should be paying attention to.  We make just enough money to stay alive but we live in a society that makes us work harder and longer than we ever have to try to live that dream.  We care more about who's fucking who in the world than we do about our corrupt governments.  We care more about William and Kate than we do about how Building 7 came down in 9/11.  We care more about taking that next vacation or buying that boat we always wanted and because we are so consumed by getting getting getting, that we don't have the energy to focus on the fact that we are nothing but a program run by the Matrix as the men behind the curtain make all the money and decide how to split up the pie.  The gap between the rich and the middle class is grown so there is now a massive Grand Canyon like gap between us.  When my ex-wife asked my once why I spent so much time on the computer going over my 1200th 9/11 conspiracy document.  I responded by asking her if she cared that her government was lying to her and if she really believed that the buildings came down the way they said they did.  Her response was that no she didn't believe the official version, "but what can I do?  I have bills to pay and kids to feed."  That in essence is the Matrix.  It's asking us to open our eyes, free out mind and take the world back from those who have stole it from us.  

 

The Matrix is not only one of the smartest and most brilliant films I've ever seen, it's not just revolutionary because of bullet time and it's choreography and fight sequences, it's important and iconic because The Wachowskis see what I see and they are mad as hell and don't want to take it anymore.  The Matrix is the most important movie ever made.

[baumer]

9 minutes ago, 75live said:

 

I've seen this and I get where you are coming from, it is pretty brutal to watch and can definitely stay with you.  I get why you have it on the list.

 

You've seen Earthlings?  

[Ozymandias]

[WrathOfHan]

I enjoyed reading the list Baumer, definitely some good and interesting choices

[narniadis]

Nice finale

 

so am I right that LOTR completely missed the list? Or am I brain Farting?

[baumer]

2 minutes ago, Ozymandias said:

 

Yea, beyond all the mumbo jumbo I just spouted off about opening our eyes, it's stuff like this that is just epicly freaking cool.

[baumer]

1 minute ago, narniadis said:

Nice finale

 

so am I right that LOTR completely missed the list? Or am I brain Farting?

 

I didn't have them on my list.  I don't see how they changed much or really had any significant addition to Hollywood.  They are terrific films (at least the first one is) but they are not overly important imo.

[narniadis]

Just now, Baumer said:

 

I didn't have them on my list.  I don't see how they changed much or really had any significant addition to Hollywood.  They are terrific films (at least the first one is) but they are not overly important imo.

 

I agree with you - just used to seeing them show up on lists around here lol. I personally wouldn't have them anywhere near a top 100 of anything but yeah.

[Ozymandias]

3 minutes ago, Baumer said:

 

Yea, beyond all the mumbo jumbo I just spouted off about opening our eyes, it's stuff like this that is just epicly freaking cool.

 

I remember back in 99, nobody could shut up about the lobby scene and Neo's 360 bullet time scene on top of the building near the end.

[Chaz]

Their importance may be up for debate, but the LOTR movies will live forever, just like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and the Back to the Future trilogy. 

 

Not saying they deserve to be on the list, but I love those fucking movies. ?

 

Enjoyed the list, B.

Edited June 7, 2016 by Chaz

[Plain Old Tele]

It's B's list, so my opinion is completely moot, but I think LOTR should be on any Most Important list. It singlehandedly resurrected the ancient fantasy genre and made it respectable. I think the younger crowd maybe doesn't realize how dead that genre was: it was deader than the western before UNFORGIVEN. LOTR popularized the concept of shooting multiple films concurrently, as opposed to back-to-back. WETA's development of Gollum made dramatic leaps in mo-cap and realistic character animation. And, of course, the franchise was one of the most dominant forces at the Oscars in film history... while being a massive global hit as well.