Friends, if you had to make a list of your top 5 movies of all time, what would they be?
If you want to say why, you’re welcome to add that, too.
@mwerickson Without thinking too hard about it: 1) The Conversation, absolutely masterful performance by Gene Hackman, excellent sound design, and I saw it in Paris with my husband in the early aughts. 2) Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control really showed me what experimental documentary could be. 3) Maria Full of Grace with its absolutely perfect ending. 4) Children of Men for delivering sci fi in the exactly right mix of domesticated futures and uncanny change. And 5) The Beat that My Heart Skipped for its quintessential French precision: small-but-big story, magnetic lead.
@ablerism I’ve seen The Conversation and Children of Men (definitely a favorite of mine), but not the other three. I look forward to some new viewing!
@mwerickson Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Red and Blue (two films, but I’ll count them as one because they’re part of a trilogy. I don’t care for White, the third movie.): they’re great humanist films. Casablanca: because, you know, it’s Casablanca. Wonder Boys: Very funny, odd, Michael Douglas is great. Vanya on 42nd Street: Uncle Vanya in an interesting frame, wonderful performances by Wallace Shawn and Brook Smith. Metropolitan: Whit Stillman is the 20th C’s Jane Austen – and there’s a very funny and insightful reference in the movie to Jane Austen.
@JimRain Kieslowski’s Three Colors trilogy is such a classic. I always tried to get my kids to love Casablanca and I didn’t succeed, but I love it. I’ve never seen Wonder Boys, although I’ve heard of it, and Vanya on 42nd Street is new to me. Adding to the list!
@mwerickson it’s one of those movies where you want to have a deep conversation with people when you are done. Lots to ponder and discuss.
It continues to be relevant year after year.
I think it’s the best Terry Gilliam, too.
Brad Pitt is brilliant in it. Bruce Willis is good, too.
@mwerickson Skipping the best-extraordinary-intense-thrilling masterpiece answers and just going off the cuff with movies I’ve loved and love rewatching:
- The Four Feathers (2002)
- Maudie
- Spy Game
- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
- Sorry for cheating but I can’t decide between Logan Lucky and Matchstick Men for the fifth
@mwerickson Can i play? These are my choices, which might not match the idea of greatness:
The Big Short (such a smart, funny, and insightful explanation of the 2008 crash; acting is amazing)
Way Out West (Laurel and Hardy’s most charming movie, and the only one Stan got to direct)
The Sting (impeccable acting, great screenplay)
The Whale Rider (powerful performance by Keisha Castle-Hughes and a timely description of what a new form of leadership might look like)
Hamlet (the Kenneth Branagh version. If you’ve never “got” Shakespeare, or understood the brouhaha about the play, this version will grip you – runner up: Branagh’s Henry V)
[I also highly recommend the recent PBS Great Performances version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya starring Toby Jones)
@drwalt Ooh, I hadn’t thought about The Sting. Great movie. With some movies, you can never repeat the experience of seeing it for the first time. This is one, The Matrix is another. I was fooled! and seeing how I’d been fooled was of course a pleasure.
@JohnBrady I worry that some might approach it as a “disability awareness” movie. That might be so, but would only scratch the surface. @ablerism
@JohnBrady Big time. I only teach awareness media to alert students to the explicit message-y nature of it. More time spent seeking out the conditions of art where disability is also present.
@ablerism I absolutely LOVE that movie. I showed it to my kids when it first came out and it really moved all of us so deeply.
@tinyroofnail Oh, wow. I’m not sure I’ve seen any of these but Logan Lucky and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Adding to my list of “to-watch” movies. Thanks!
@drwalt All are welcome. Thanks for joining the conversation. I love these selections. I remember watching The Sting as a kid with my Dad, and loving the story and the music. I realized later it was a “made for television” adaptation. I love Branagh’s film renderings of Shakespeare, including Hamelt, and our family favorite as we raised our kids was Much Ado About Nothing.
@mwerickson Casablanca, The Graduate, Ran, Network, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. B-List: The Maltese Falcon, The Magnificent Seven, The Godfather, Midnight Cowboy, Tampopo. Inquiries welcome.
@drwalt It’s good to make that SE Wisconsin connection. I grew up with the Mississippi River valley of Illinois, but have lived here in Milwaukee since 2003. Thanks for joining the conversation.
@apoorplayer I have seen all your A-list movies. I haven’t seen Ran in a long time, so I was glad for the reminder. I’ve seen most of your B-list as well, but there are a few I want to delve into. Thanks!
@mwerickson Chiming in with my very eclectic list off the top of my head: The Philadelphia Story, Fargo, It’s A Wonderful Life, The Royal Tenenbaums, Tree of Life.
@mwerickson Oh you’re in for a treat with Maudie. It’s in that category with Paterson and Perfect Days — and I think I would still rank it first.
@tinyroofnail I enjoyed trying to think about what “that category” means and includes. I wanted to add The Taste of Things, which we’re watching this evening on our own DVD copy. Ranking the movies in “that category” is beyond me, but I like all the ones listed so far.
@JohnBrady The Taste of Things is a gorgeous film. When I watched it the first time, I immediately wanted to watch it again. So evocative throughout that I felt I could almost smell the aromas in the kitchen.
@JohnBrady I’m tempted to call it the beautiful, anti-movie movie category, but also to just let the examples be the answer. The Taste of Things is on our watchlist from seeing you mentioning it a while back. You’ve got some street cred here so my expectations are high. Have you seen Maudie?
@tinyroofnail Saw it, liked it though it felt a bit depressing. Hawke & Hawkins are 2 of my favorite actors & were both in top form.
@JohnBrady Very well indeed, as usual. I told them about you saying this to me, and one woman beautifully expressed how fundamentally artful it was—an artifact where disability was present.
@mwerickson A course I’ve taught for many years now (though only included the film for a few of those)— Investigating Normal: Design and Disability. History + disability cultural studies meets design research. A seminar for design majors, making the long case for close attention to texts. We’re now heading into bioethics, selective abortion for disability, assisted dying, plus Han’s Burnout Society and then we’ll end with Never Let Me Go.
@mwerickson Don’t have time for 5, so I’ll give you 10.
- The Tree of Life — In a category of its own for me
- Tokyo Story — Already mentioned in this thread, but Ozu is a master
- Perfect Days — Maybe the last truly great film I’ve seen. I love this film.
- The Seventh Seal directed by Ingmar Bergman — This one will always have a soft spot in my heart because it was probably my first encounter with foreign cinema. My older brother showed it to me in high school.
- Columbus directed by Kogonada — A beautiful meditation on place, architecture, and human connection. A contemporary Ozu.
- Playtime directed by Jacques Tati — I have no idea how to introduce this one haha
- Remains of the Day directed by James Ivory — I love period dramas, and this adaptation of the Ishiguro novel is at the top for me (along with no.8).
- The Age of Innocence directed by Martin Scorsese — More than any other adaptation that I’ve seen, this movie “feels” like reading the book.
- Hoop Dreams directed by Steve James — One of the most emphatic and humanistic documentaries you’ll find on any subject.
- Dr. Strangelove directed by Stanley Kubrick — Might be a good time to fire up one the best political satire black comedy films ever made.
@ablerism Sounds like a very thought-provoking class. Never Let Me Go is such a powerful and unnerving book. I’ve never read Burnout Society but will take a look at it.
@calebgreene Wow. What a list! Thank you for sharing these. I’ve seen all of them except Columbus, so I’ve added it to my to-watch list.
@mwerickson glad I got one! Based on the other films you’ve mentioned on here, I think you’ll love it.
@mwerickson A bit late to the party but finally made my list—and had to write more than just the list. 🤙🏽
@lukemperez These are both great lists. And yes to Gran Torino! Back in the days of Dirty Harry etc. I never would have imagined Eastwood would become a first-rate, probing director, but so it is.
@calebgreene Oh, my goodness — Playtime! I’d forgotten that one, trying to put a list together. I couldn’t begin to explain it either. Utterly wonderful.
@lukemperez Lost in Translation is one I can watch an almost infinite number of times, and Gran Torino is one of those that sticks with me to an outsized degree even though I’ve only seen it once. Two very different sorts of “favorites” for me.
@JohnBrady It is only in hindsight that we can see the hints of what was to come in Dirty Harry or even the Fist Full of Dollars trilogy. But in realtime, yeah, no one saw it coming until maybe Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby (just a few years before Torino).
@dwalbert Lost holds up for me. The airsoft scene and the “make-up” scene after the fire alarm are so poignant and human.
@lukemperez @dwalbert It’s one of my faves too. Still can’t fully account fully for why it’s so powerful.
@ablerism @dwalbert It’s the whole thing from the the way it picks up in media res without any prologue to its non-conclusion the way we normally expect films to end. That’s the human experience, as people become close—closer than family—for brief moments in our lives. Anyone who has bonded with someone while traveling abroad knows what it’s like.
@mwerickson Have you posted your top 5 movies somewhere? I’d say: O Brother, Where Art Thou?; The Dark Knight; The Shawshank Redemption; LOTR: Return of the King; The Prestige.
Favorite kids movie (our kids are 3, 5, and 7 now) is, I think, Coco. Genuinely surprised me.
@lukemperez @ablerism @dwalbert I watch Lost in Translation at least annually, never tire of it. Not sure why. I love the way Charlotte keeps finding herself in traditional Japanese settings (a wedding, flower arranging) in the midst of the frenetic modernity that surrounds her. The unheard final words between the characters stick with me powerfully. (I’m impressed that no one has leaked what Bill Murray said to Scarlet Johansson in that shot. It’s as if people had a sense of mystery & privacy!) And there’s something about these characters “finding each other”, then deciding to stick with their rather shaky commitments…
@JohnBrady I haven’t watched that movie in years, but I was so in love with it when it came out…watched it many, many times. Time for a rewatch!
@JohnBrady @ablerism @dwalbert I love the ambiguity of their relationship, viz., how they could be only friends or falling in love but then, like you said, decide to stick with what they already have.
@mwerickson I have a hard time making a short list and an equally hard time figuring out what I mean by favorites, but I don’t think anybody here has mentioned any musicals. So I’ll run with the theme. Somewhere in my top (some number) list would be The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, which is visually beautiful, understated and heartbreaking; In the Heights, which barely made a ripple when it was released in 2021 but is a big old fashioned movie musical and a love letter to America; and because I can’t leave it out, The Music Man. And I would have to admit that I more or less have 1776 memorized.
@dwalbert Those all are great. Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, is, I think, equally visually stunning. In the Heights was overshadowed by West Side Story that year, but I really liked both. Finally, I realized I’d become an adult (aka “old”) when I thought, “I like Shirley Jones more than Grace Slick.”
@dwalbert Thanks for giving a shout-out to musicals here. A good friend shared The Umbrellas of Cherbourg with me, and I was mesmerized by it. Thanks for mentioning it here. I’m not familiar with In the Heights so I’ll have to take a look at it.
@joshuapsteele I have seen and love each of the movies you shared here. My family has grown up watching and loving Christopher Nolan films. I hate to say I’ve never seen Coco, so I’ll add it to the list. I haven’t posted my own list yet, but will do so soon!
@lukemperez I never would have come up with the comparison of Dark Knight and Liberty Valance, but that’s brilliant. Haven’t watched a John and Jimmy western in years.
@mwerickson Okay, so @joshuapsteele asked me to list my own top 5 movies. I didn’t realize how hard this would be to answer, but today I would say: Stalker - Andrei Tarkovsky is probably my all-time favorite filmmaker; The Tree of Life - Terrence Malick is a close second; Perfect Days - I think I could watch this film every month and not get tired of it; Au Hasard Balthasar - Robert Bresson is not to everyone’s tastes but I just love this film; Seven Samurai - Akira Kurosawa is a master.
@mwerickson Joining in the fun:
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Lost In Translation - A film (and soundtrack) that moved my wife and I so much that it would take an essay to explain why. It literally affected our lives too as we moved our lives to Japan for a short while. I still regularly play the soundtrack.
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Ghost in The Shell (original anime) - A friend made me watch this when the VHS first came to the US and it totally blew me away. This is the one movie I keep rebuying as higher quality editions are released.
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Star Wars (A New Hope) - I first saw it as a 4yr old when my dad recorded it off of television and I haven’t ever stopped. Neither George Lucas nor its fandom has been able to ruin this film for me.
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Bladerunner (Director’s cut) - The world building in this film is second to none and it can not be divorced from the Vangelis soundtrack that brings it to life.
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Ed Wood - Like the great film critic, Roger Ebert said, films that “encourage empathy with people not like ourselves and encourage us to think about life, they are good.” This movie is good.
@mwerickson As you know, I avoided choosing a Kurosawa favorite. If I really had to pick, Redbeard would probably be it. And I’d forgotten about Yojimbo until @lukemperez listed it. So that’s, what, five “favorite” AK movies. It would be easier to list the ones that I thought were less than first class.
@gregmoore I’m struck by how often Lost in Translation has come up on all these lists! Re Blade Runner, I’m a “Final Cut” partisan myself, but I believe we can still live together in peace.
@JohnBrady I think Lost in Translation hits so many people because it artfully weaves many common emotions and relational experiences we’ve all had in some form or another.
Bladerunner’s final cut is the best of the edits but the Director’s Cut was the one I (thankfully) saw first. Any edit that avoids the original “voiceover” cut is good in my book. 🤣
@JohnBrady @mwerickson If you want a real fun movie marathon, watch Yojimbo followed by two great American remakes, Fist Full of Dollars and Last Man Standing.
@isaacgreene I had the good fortune of watching Dark Knight within a few weeks of watching Liberty with friends so the comparison was right there. Something like 20 years ago a now defunct podcast had three episodes on “the Western” and the comparisons to Aristotle and political philosophy were quite illuminating.
@lukemperez Oh, man, I love the spaghetti westerns like Fist Full of Dollars, but I just couldn’t put it on my list.
@mwerickson Yeah, it’s not on the list for a favorite or best or perfect film. But man to do they hit the nostalgia feels.