Your favourite film

[Lykren]

For North Star, who asked:

Goodfellas
Godfather I and II
The Departed
Ran
Rashomon
Seven Samurai
Fanny and Alexander
Late Spring
Floating Weeds
The Seventh Seal
Cries and Whispers
Through A Glass Darkly
La Regle du Jue
A Man Escaped
Bicycle Thief
La Grande illusion
The Spirit of the Beehive
Raise the Red Lantern
Solaris
Stalker
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring
Andrei Rublev
Dogtooth
Maboroshi no Hikari
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Volver
The Skin I Live In
Ugetsu
Sanshō the Bailiff
Life of Oharu
The Conversation
Apocalypse Now
Eyes Wide Shut
Barry Lyndon
Breathless
The 400 Blows
My Life to Live
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
The White Ribbon
Amour
Pan's Labryinth
Annie Hall
Amarcord
8 1/2
La Dolce Vita
Spirited Away
L'Avventura
Vertigo
The Tree of Life
The Exterminating Angel
A Separation

EDIT: I forgot Wild Strawberries.

[Pike Bishop]

Since we're doing the epic lists:

Blade Runner
The Searchers
Out of the Past
Adaptation
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Vertigo
The Gold Rush
Rashomon
La Dolce Vita
Office Space
This is Spinal Tap
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Wild Strawberries
Boogie Nights
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Goodfellas
The Godfather Part II
Her
Primer
Minority Report
The Terminator
Chinatown
The Exorcist
Session 9
Alien
Aliens
The Thin Red Line
Memento
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
Inglorious Basterds
Crimes and Misdemeanors
L.A. Confidential
Moulin Rouge
The Proposition
Apocalypse Now
Die Hard
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Empire Strikes Back
Seven
The Wild Bunch
Jaws
Sexy Beast
The Departed
The Dark Knight
Wall-E

[North Star]

Nice list Pike, I've seen about half of them.

For North Star, who asked:
Goodfellas
Godfather I and II
The Departed
Ran
Rashomon
Seven Samurai
Fanny and Alexander
Bicycle Thief
Andrei Rublev
The Skin I Live In
Ugetsu
Apocalypse Now
Eyes Wide Shut
The White Ribbon
Vertigo

Great films, all. All of Tarkovsky is very high on my list to watch.

[Lykren]

Tarkovsky is one of my all-time favorites

[spikepipsqueak]

Thread resurrection. Delete if that's not allowed here.


V for Vendetta.

Life as a House.

The Red Violin.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

Allegro Non Troppo.

The Princess Bride.

Gattaca.

The Ref.

Lady Hawke.

Serenity.

Avatar.

The Abyss.

The Croods.

The Castle

The Dish.

The Jerk.

[tailor STATELY]

Some good lists in this thread. I just don't get The Princess Bride though, must be over my head.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor

[bounty]

hey spike...I have a fun question for you (since everyone else apart from tailor is long gone from the thread).

there are tons of movies I have enjoyed but only about a dozen or so that I would list as "favorites."

for you, whats the distinction between the two?

[spikepipsqueak]

Sorry bounty, would have answered earlier but I don't get back here often.

Every one on my list moved me in some way and stayed with me long after the lights came on. Each was very well done for what it is, in my unprofessional opinion. There are a lot of comedies amongst my list but they are comedies with heart and not one has stereotyped, "phoned in" characters or plot. I watch most of those every few years and either see new details in them or fall in love anew with the aspects I liked in the first place.

(With the exception of Princess Bride, it's the stereotyping and variation within that makes that film. It's an intelligent fairy tale with humour.)

I would probably add

What We Did on our Holidays.

The Best Offer.

I would add Bel Canto but could never watch that again.

Interested to hear your own answer to your question?

[bounty]

I think your statement of "my list moved me in some way and stayed with me long after the lights came on" captures my own sentiment really well spike. then the fun question after that is to explore what the "some way" is.

I believe that art is commentary on the human condition, and the best movies speak to some universal elemental aspect of being. its the common thread that allows for seemingly disparate movies to be held in mutual esteem on any one person's list of favorites.

as an offshoot---I read bel canto and liked it, but it never really occurred to me to watch the movie afterwards. the major attraction might be to see how well the creators of the movie deal with the powerful effect of music in people's lives.

to that point, have you ever seen the Shawshank redemption?

and as an aside---ann Patchett's book truth and beauty is one of the best written books ive ever read. if anyone ever sees this post and is inspired to give it a shot, read the autobiography of a face by lucy grealy first (which is also one of the best written books ive ever read).

[spikepipsqueak]

I tried to put those on hold at the library just now.

Ran into that thing where we can now source books from the local region only. They used to be prepared to bring things in from all over the state. Radically improved the chances of reading something recommended. I'll note them. We will cross paths eventually.

Yes, I'd put Shawshank, and The Green Mile, in the category of films that say more than you see on the surface. I don't read King any more, grown out of horror, but he is a more thoughtful writer than I initially gave him credit for. I've read sentences in his books that have made me think for days.

[bounty]

oh boy spike, if you can read those two books, id love to hear what you think. remember to read lucy first and ann second.

ive watched some really enjoyable movies recently---but I should also say that "enjoyment" for me doesn't really mean an entertaining distraction. as we're kinda talking about, there has to be something more going on.

[free]

Generally, I like SF films and films based on literature.

[bounty]

I've just recently re-watched ready, player one (even better the second time around!) which is maybe more fantasy than science fiction, but its at least a little bit of both, and I was just reminded that's also a book on my wish list.

[bounty]

I've just recently re-watched ready, player one (even better the second time around!) which is maybe more fantasy than science fiction, but its at least a little bit of both, and I was just reminded that its also a book on my wish list.

while im here, I want to put in another plug for pride and prejudice and zombies!

[free]

I have just heard a Franz Liszt's composition (I do not know its name) and it occured to me that he was one of George Sand's lovers. The film about George Sand's very interesting life is lovely, but one scene remind in my mind so much. Alfred de Musset, also her lover, once treated her badly, so she spent a night crying in fron of his house. Authors of the film inserted there a music by Franz Liszt, (if I remember well), after that she became Franz's mistress. Maybe it is not much of an idea, but it was so emotionally exciting (knowing that they become lovers afterwards) that I think, I will always like it.