Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

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Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Friday » Wed Sep 27, 2017 9:45 pm

So, let's get this out of the way right off the bat. Again.

This thread is 100% a vanity project. If you don't want to read that, click away now.

It's literally going to be me talking about my favorite video games movies just like every asshole on the internet has done since 1995. My plan is to go beyond a simple list and delve into the reasons WHY I like each movie so much without going full Tim Rogers Roger Ebert Tim Rogers verbose bullshit navel gazing.

Also, note that this is not a BEST movie thread. These movies are my favorites. Now, there's going to be some overlap of course between Best and Favorite, but the top ten movies I consider to be BEST would be a very different looking list. High Noon would be on it, for one. (High Noon isn't on this list. It'd probably make my top 20 and for sure my top 30, so calm down because I'm super gay for Westerns.)

I'm going to post one movie at a time, starting with number 10 and work my way up. I'll go into why I love the movie so much. I won't post all ten today, and I'll update the list when I feel like it, but probably I'll be done with all 10 in however long it takes I guess

I don't really hope to generate a lot of discussion because this is just my opinions but hey, if you wanna comment about stuff that's totally cool and we can talk about movies hey i like talking about movies maybe you agree with my choices maybe you don't maybe you think I'm a dork whatever lets talk about it

There are no "rules" for this list. It's a pure list of my personal top ten movies. I'm not going to say I'm taking into account the era they were released in, or that I'm not, because it's a little bit of both. I give points for technical limitations of the time and whatnot but I'm also taking them away for aging poorly.

Alright, one last thing. I haven't seen a lot of movies that consistently make a lot of people's top ten list. Obviously, those movies are not going to show up on this list. Here are a few movies I have never seen, if you're wondering why they're not here:

Citizen Kane
Most black and white films for that matter, though I have seen some of them
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
A lot of indie shit, though I have seen some of them
I don't know there are a trillion movies and there's nobody alive who has even seen 10% of them except maybe Roger Ebert

With all that out of the way, lets get down to business. To defeat the huns.
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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Friday » Wed Sep 27, 2017 10:02 pm

10. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Remember, super gay for westerns.



This -might- be the one movie on my personal list that I would force a potential mate to watch before I married ate them and implanted eggs into their corpse's spine. They don't have to like it or anything (but if they don't, they will die in more pain than usual) but it's such a fucking classic and I love it so much that I'm not sure I could stand to live my life implant eggs in someone who had never seen it.

Anyway.

Where do I start?

The Spaghetti Western was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. A Fistful of Dollars and a Few Dollars More (for those of you not in the know, those are the prequels, or indeed sequels, to GBU) showed audiences Clint Eastwood for the first time, and not only that, but unlike typical western heroes, he wasn't a white shirt. He kills for money? He cheats in fights? The Man With No Name is the original badass, hardass hero, squinting into the glare of the western Italian sun.

GBU does even more that's new. It's got Clint playing his role, which we're all familiar with now, and it's got the legendary Lee Van Cleef playing one of cinemas greatest villains, but the true star of the show is The Ugly (Tuco), played by Eli Wallace. With by far the most dialog in the movie, Tuco has the most backstory and development. He's both despicable and sympathetic at the same time, no easy feat to both write and act.

Also unlike most westerns at the time, there's no town to save, no moral beyond a short foray into how pointless war is. The three title characters are fighting over... you guessed it. Money. And not just money...



Set during the American Civil War (which is, strangely, fought entirely by Italians) this is a movie that 100% goes for style over substance but doesn't skimp on the substance. The cinematography is legendary, the score is even moreso, and the final three-way gun duel is a unique climax that to this day has not been topped.

I'll be saying this for probably all the movies on this list, but if you like Westerns at all, you owe it to yourself to see this film. Fistful and Few Dollars More are also fine, and More also has Van Cleef, but this is the grand daddy, the big cheese, the Link to the Past after Zelda 1 and 2.
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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Mongrel » Wed Sep 27, 2017 10:07 pm

Agree on basically also all points. But I too am pretty gay for westerns. I just really enjoy the austere, mythological feeling westerns have since they tend to pare a story down to the barest of bones without actually losing any meat for doing so.

And Tuco is probably one of the greatest characters in cinematic history.
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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Friday » Wed Sep 27, 2017 10:14 pm

9. Spaceballs

KEEP POSTING, ASSHOLES

Hi. I like this movie better than Blazing Saddles. I know Blazing Saddles is a by far better movie, with a far more biting social commentary. And it has Gene Wilder and it has more intelligent humor.

Spaceballs makes me laugh more. Or did, I guess, considering I've seen it so many times that I can now recite every line of dialog, in order, by heart. (Though the "WE AIN'T FOUND SHIT" line still makes me crack up.)

That's not to say that Spaceballs doesn't have it's share of smart humor and biting commentary. But a lot of the jokes are just absurd nonsense, which is my favorite kind of humor. Also it has Michael Winslow.

Anyway I'm feeling kinda tired after all this posting. Why don't we take a five minute break? Smoke if ya got 'em.

(It's hard to talk about a comedy film without just ruining the jokes for people who haven't seen it. I guess I can say if you love Mel Brooks movies and haven't seen Spaceballs, it's one of his best.)
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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Caithness » Thu Sep 28, 2017 10:18 am

The first time I saw Spaceballs, at like age 8, I didn't realize it was a parody or even a comedy. I was totally into it.

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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Bal » Thu Sep 28, 2017 12:49 pm

Caithness wrote:The first time I saw Spaceballs, at like age 8, I didn't realize it was a parody or even a comedy. I was totally into it.


Same here. I watched it with my dad when I was very young, I'm pretty sure I saw it before Star Wars, and I was totally invested.

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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Friday » Thu Sep 28, 2017 6:01 pm

8. Mulan



Disney is an extremely popular thing for a reason, but Mulan transcends those reasons. Based on a Chinese myth/story/historical account, Mulan (the movie) tells the story of a girl who pretends to be a guy so she can save her dad from going to war.

Along the way, she learns what it means to be a real hero, makes friends with smelly soldier boys, finds a hot bf, and Eddie Murphy puts dishonor on her, her family, and her cow.

"I'll Make A Man Out Of You" isn't the best Disney song, ("Be Prepared" is, and I'll fight you about it) but it's in the top five and the rest of the soundtrack is pretty good, too. The animation isn't bad but it's not the same level as, say, the Little Mermaid. What sets Mulan apart is the story. Mulan deals with really heavy shit, like war, death, deception, betrayal, honor, and a woman's place in a male-dominated world. Oh, and the next time someone mentions how Scar or whoever is the most "effective" or "brutal" Disney Villain, please gently remind them that Shan Yu massacres soldiers and an entire village (including children) off screen, and orders the death of a man that is just barely not shown on screen.

Not that Mulan isn't funny or entertaining! There's a lot of good natured ribbing between the Chinese soldiers and basically everything Dragon Eddie Murphy says or does is hilarious. But mostly what strikes me about Mulan and appeals to me so personally is how Mulan finds herself in an unfair world, with unfair rules, that is trying as hard as it can to make her conform, submit, and accept her lot in life, and Mulan says "No, fuck that, I'm going to do whatever it takes to live life on my own terms" and ends up a heroine who saves the country.

Oh and scores a really hot bf.

This movie could be better. It could have one of her friends die in battle to really drive home how awful war is. But in the end it's a kid's movie, and I'm fine with that. Not every movie has to be dark to be good, and Mulan is just dark enough to stand out without losing that Disney charm. I could probably write a whole thread about Disney movies and how almost all of them push the envelope in some way, but Mulan's push was what impressed me the most.

Oh, and this was the original poster.
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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Friday » Thu Sep 28, 2017 6:31 pm

7. Casablanca



God. What can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said a million times? I guess nothing, but I'll try.

Taking place in Casablanca, Africa, 1941, when America was still neutral in the war, Casablanca, is, in my opinion, often confused for a great romantic love story. Sure, it's got one, and it's even the focus of the story (mostly) but I actually think the love story is incidental to what the movie is really trying to convey.

Casablanca is about a disillusioned man rediscovering his drive, his motivation, his reason for living. It's about taking a stand against evil, it's about fighting to the bitter end, it's about friendship. (Or at least, the beginning of one.)

Speaking of, while Bogart is sublime in the lead, Claude Rains (as Captain Louis Renault, above shocked) almost manages to steal the fucking show. But Bogart's weary cynicism and sharp but bone dry wit dominates the film from start to end. So, so many great lines.

Watching this movie now makes you almost believe they're being hokey and derivative of the greats on purpose until you realize "No, no, this is where all these lines originated." It's surreal, at least for me, just how many well known and now "cliche" lines are in this movie. It might just be the most quoted movie of all time. Well. Until nerds got their hands on Monty Python, I suppose.

The acting from the rest of the cast isn't bad, but you won't notice them under Bogart and Rains. Unlike a lot of older black and white movies, Casablanca doesn't move particularly slowly (it's not fast paced, but you can still find slower paced movies like it made today, usually taking place in the Pacific Northwest and about people's FEELINGS) and it doesn't seem weirdly censored. It's my go-to whenever anyone who has never "seen one of those black and white old movies" asks which one is the best to start with.

The movie is shot with that old moody lighting and practiced framing typical (but very good) of the era. Lots of close ups, especially of Ingrid Bergman, who has fantastic chemistry with Bogart throughout. The final shot of Bogart and Rains walking into the fog is beyond iconic.

If any of the movies on this list are "a true classic", it's this one. If you're squeamish about old movies, I understand. I've seen my share of them and no matter what 80 year old film critics say, they're slow and often boring, even the ones that get high regard. Casablanca isn't like them. Round up your usual friends or go it alone, kid, and give it a shot.
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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Büge » Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:51 pm

Friday wrote:8. Mulan

[...]

Oh, and this was the original poster.


That reminds me of when I went to Disney World in 2005 and saw their Florida studios (which have closed), and there was a huge banner of Mulan hanging on the outside of the building. I used to have photos of it but they were lost with an old HD.
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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby nosimpleway » Thu Sep 28, 2017 9:06 pm

No other Disney film has had the stones to cut off a cheerful happy song with "Oh shit somebody burned a village to the goddamn ground"

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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Friday » Thu Sep 28, 2017 9:37 pm

Yeah, that's what I like about Mulan, if I had to sum it up in one sentence. "It's got stones."

I just really enjoy the austere, mythological feeling westerns have since they tend to pare a story down to the barest of bones without actually losing any meat for doing so.


It's been said that the landscapes in westerns tell the story just as much as the dialog and acting does. It's one of the great things I love about them, and whenever I see similar techniques in other movies (No Country For Old Men, for example) it always makes me like the movie a lot more.

Tons of movies gotta go fast fast fast, gotta keep those tweens bippin' and boppin' in their seats. Westerns give you a chance to really digest them. Of course, the tween-minded cite that as the fact they don't like or can't stand westerns ("they're boring") so I guess it really is a hit and miss thing with people.
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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Büge » Thu Sep 28, 2017 9:46 pm

Friday wrote:It might just be the most quoted movie of all time. Well. Until nerds got their hands on Monty Python, I suppose.


Inconceivable!
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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Blossom » Thu Sep 28, 2017 9:49 pm

Okay, but, the best Disney song is definitely Poor Unfortunate Souls.
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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Friday » Thu Sep 28, 2017 10:53 pm

I said I would fight you and I will, but Unfortunate Souls is second best, so I'm not gonna put my heart into it.

EDIT: I'm summarize by saying that overall Souls is a better song, but the wordplay of

Meticulous planning
Tenacity spanning
Decades of denial
Is simply why I'll
Be king undisputed
Respected, saluted
And seen for the WONDER I am

puts Be Prepared over the top for me.
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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Thad » Fri Sep 29, 2017 12:56 am

Be Prepared has the best rhymes, but I think I gotta go with I Wanna Be Like You as the best song.

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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Mongrel » Fri Sep 29, 2017 1:01 am

I don't think I'll ever be able to let anything take Gaston's Song's place.

However, if we're not talking purely villain songs then I Wan'na Be Like You, has got to be right up there.

Honourable mentions (not objective choices, just my dumb personal favourites - though Roger Miller's weary vocals on Not in Nottingham are actually really powerful):

- Not in Nottingham, or pretty much any other song from Robin Hood
- Bare Necessities
- Pink Elephants on Parade
- When I See an Elephant Fly
- Cruella DeVille
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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Thad » Fri Sep 29, 2017 1:06 am

"Persecutes harmless crackpots" is a tough lyric to beat.

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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Mongrel » Fri Sep 29, 2017 1:12 am

Thad wrote:"Persecutes harmless crackpots" is a tough lyric to beat.

Also

"LeFou... you know I've been thinking."
"A dangerous pastime"
"I know"
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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Rico » Fri Sep 29, 2017 1:18 am

Friday wrote:It's been said that the landscapes in westerns tell the story just as much as the dialog and acting does. It's one of the great things I love about them, and whenever I see similar techniques in other movies (No Country For Old Men, for example) it always makes me like the movie a lot more.

Tons of movies gotta go fast fast fast, gotta keep those tweens bippin' and boppin' in their seats. Westerns give you a chance to really digest them. Of course, the tween-minded cite that as the fact they don't like or can't stand westerns ("they're boring") so I guess it really is a hit and miss thing with people.

The fucking intro scene in Once Upon a Time in the West is one of my favorite things in the whole world of cinema.

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Re: Friday's Favorite Top Ten Movies

Postby Mongrel » Fri Sep 29, 2017 1:22 am

Rico wrote:The fucking intro scene in Once Upon a Time in the West is one of my favourite things in the whole world of cinema

Completely agree.
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