We have had the bad movie item, so what is the BEST one you've seen/
rented/bought/borrowed/stolen/recorded etc ?

160 responses total.

Terminator/---/Terminator/Terminator/Terminator etc

At this particular moment, while it might not be the *best* movie I've
seen, Woody Allen's _Manhattan_ is my favorite.  Just prior to seeing it
for the first time I went to New York City.  The movie the city, I don't
know which caused it, but I'm in love with New York City.  Anyhow...
On with the item.

That weird Samurai/Gladiator Movie I saw the other night.

{A movie called "The Sure Thing" starring John Cusak{{ and 
Daphne Zuniga, Directed by Rob Reiner.  Excellent!  
BTW it's probably ~8 yrs old by now...

the best moveie ever even concieved was "Stand By ME", anotyhere
reiner file, about the same time.  This move touched me so deeply. it was
really wierd.  The second best was "Empitre of teh Sun"...
Probably the one speilburg film that was a sleeper.  Ths cinima tography
is just inceredible.....if you havn't seen either of theses...rent them
right away....

Best film?  And you want me to name just one?  Impossible.  I love so many.
Some of them are:
"Room with a View" and "African Queen."  I list them together because they
  hold an approximate tie for film I have seen most often and still love
  every time.  I must have seen each hundreds of times.
"Groundhog Day."  I don't like Bill Murray as a general rule, but this film
  is an absolute gem, and he is brilliant in it.  It's a story that
  progresses emotionally in the face of what should be the ultimate plot
  killer:  endless repetition.
"The Seven Samurai" or any of Kurosawa's other early Samurai films.  I
  didn't go so much for "Ran."

I could go on..."Diva," "Mamon of the Spring," "King of Hearts," "Cat Ballou,"
"Tampopo," "Fisher King," "North by Northwest," "Cinema Paradiso," "Brining
up Baby," but time is limited.

I have to relate to janc's dilemma. (So many good movies, so little time.)
I am very fond of North by Northwest and African Queen.
But I would mostly agree with gerund's choive, "Manhattan".

I grew up there and always loved NY. I am happy that this movie
helped bring about that feeling in others. I just loved the character 
portrayals. Having it set there was a plus, though.

For me, I don't think it would be possible to state my favortie movie, I
have watched and loved so many!!  I admit it, I'm a movie junkie.
Some of the movies I have really liked are "Aladin", "Welcome Home, Roxy
Carmicheal", and all the "Star Wars" movies.  I guess you would say I am
rather eclectic.

My favorites are the Star Wars movies also.

Re #4: Hey, I'm glad to see someone else remembers the Sure Thing.
I don't think it was much of a hit, but it sure was hilarious.

Some favorites that come to mind - "The Neverending Story","Return To Oz",
"Jacob's Ladder","Casablanca","Alien","Rear Window","The  Graduate",
"Blade Runner","Harold and Maude","The Ten Days That Shook The world",
"Annie Hall","North by Northwest","Legend" and many, many more I've forgotten.

Amen to John Cusak & The Sure Thing!  All of his earlier movies are grrrreat!

So, y'all run out and rent The Sure Thing... you won't be disappointed.
Speaking of movies, if your'e on Prodigy, be sure to check out their
database of movie reviews...you can sort by star, director, producer,
and year of release.  Excellent if for example you want to see something
with a particular actor or actress...just type in the name and you
get a complete list of his or her films.
One more thing ... honorable mention to all of John Hughes films...
Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful,
Ferris Buellers Day off, Planes Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, 
Home Alone / Home Alone 2, and I'm sure I missed a few.

I think "Breakfast Club" deserves a mention also, it's one those movies that
I can watch over and over.  I also like the new release "The Thing Called Love"
with the late River Phoenix, and Samantha Mathis.

I luv ALL the Monty Python movies

Re: John Cusak.  I liked "Better off Dead" with the paperboy on the
bike with the baseball cards flapping, yelling "I want my two dollars!"
Harvey and Arsenic and Old Lace are two of my favorites.  All Star
Wars.  I'm a closet Rutger Hauer fan.."The Hitcher" was our first time...
"Ferris" is a masterpiece.  I saw "The Fugitive" the other night
and loved it.  Too many more to name.

"The Sure Thing" was cute, but would hardly define a generation!  The John
Hughes films...now THOSE define a generation!  The best current flick must be
"Much Ado About Nothing"...the natural chemistry between Kenneth Brannagh &
Emma Thompson! Others that should be classics are definately "Monty Python&
the Holy Grail", "Legend", and "Pump Up The Volume"!!!!

John Hughes early films defined a generation, yes.  But his latest works
don't fit into that category.  Sorry, but I don't think that Home Alone
can be remotely compared to Some Kind of Wonderful...

I read somewhere that the early John Hughes films were totally his
(editing, directing producing, casting...), while his latest works are
more traditional collaborative types.  Can anyone confirm this?

'Sides, his early stuff had songs from OMD, one of my favorite groups, so
I have to like them!  8^)

This is interesting.  Almost *all* of the movies listed here are from the
last 10 years.  I think many of you need to check out the "Classics"
section in your local video store.  I mean "Legend"?  John Hughes films?
What makes these "best"?  "Best" should mean more than just "movies I've
liked"...

Heh. I knew I'd get in trouble for that one:)  While I don't  mean to infer
that it is a "classic", it seemed, to me, to be extremely well done, using 
many classic mythic elements and gorgeous, lush cinemetography to tell its
timeless tale of the innocents fall from grace.  With that said, it is hard
for me to separate "classics" from movies I like.  I mean, "Birth of a Nation"
is called a classic, but *I* never want to sit through it again:)

I always had a special liking for "The Birds."  I saw it on cable
over the weekend and was struck once again by how long it takes to
get moving, and yet how nerve-wracking it is despite that.  I also
noticed for the first time how much Rod Taylor looks like Robin
Williams; what a babe Suzanne Pleshette was; what a weak actress
Tipi Hedren was; how (literally) transparent some of the bird effects
are; and how my tow kids, who absolutely hated "Birds II" because it
was so boring and because the family's pet dog gets killed in it,
and who were reluctant at first to watch "The Birds" for that reason,
sat there so riveted to the screen that they wouldn't respond if
spoken to.  Also, did you know that Tipi Hedren's character in the
movie is named "Melanie"?  Does anyone know if she named her daughter
after her most famous part?  Also, did you know that the little
girl who plays Rod Taylor's younger weepy sister grew up to be
Veronica Cartwright, the weepy one in "Alien"?  She *must* be
the sister of Angela Cartwright, who played one of the Trapp brats
in "The Sound of Music."  Looks so much like her in "The BIrds"
that I was sure it was Angela at first.

Angela Cartwright played a Trapp brat?  How'd I ever miss that?

I'm pretty sure Angela was a Trapp. 

Btw, my kids both agreed that the scariest part of the movie was 
when Hedren, Taylor, Cartwright and Jessica Tandy are sitting in 
Tandy's livingroom, and the following things happen in rapid 
sequence: 

   1. the two lovebirds in the cage stop singing;
   2. Hedren notices a single sparrow on the floor in front of 
      the fireplace;
   3. Hedren says, "Mitch?"  ("Yeah, like that: 'Mitch?'  That 
      was *soooooo* cool!"); 
   4. and *instantly* about a thousand angry sparrows swarm down 
      the chimney, out the fireplace, and into the room.  

They thought the second scariest part was when Hedren is sitting 
on a bench outside the school playground while inside Pleshette 
is leading the kids in the "nickety nackety now-now-now" song: 
All at once Hedren sees a bird flying overhead, and turns around 
to see the swings and "monky bars" behind her completely covered 
with crows.  My son said, "Now I have to hear that sucky song 
inside my head for the rest of my life."  I said, "Hey, welcome 
to the club." 

Confirmed.  Angela was a Trapp.  It didn't seem quite right to me.
I kept looking for the Robot to appear and cry, "Danger!  Alien
approaching!"

"Double Indemnity","The Big Sleep","Body Heat",

"Animal Crackers", "Duck Soup", "coconuts","A Night At the Opera","A Day At
the Races","MOnkey Business"

This item has got my interest in "The Birds" up.  I never saw it, but now
I just might.  Sounds worth the time and effort.

Like other folks, I can't name one best movie I've ever seen.  The
best I can do is list a few favorites.  Were I to the same exercise
a few months from now, the list might be slightly different.  In
no particular order...

    Intolerance (D.W. Griffith, 1916)
    Swing Time (George Stevens, 1936) - my favorite Astaire/Rogers
    Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
    Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
    The Big Sleep (Howard Hawks, 1946) - quintessential film noir
    Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984)
    Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933) - the best Marx Brothers
    M (Fritz Lang, 1931)
    Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
    Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)
    To Have and Have Not (Howard Hawks, 1944)
    Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoise (Luis Bunuel, 1972)

Remmers' "dirty dozen".

I guess if I _must_ choose from what is considered "classics" I'd have to go
with "Anchors Away" (G.Kelly AND F.Astaire), "Wizard of Oz" (since childhood...
and the political references that are so often missed are great), all the 
Sonja Henie films (if you're not a figure skater, you couldn't appreciate it
like I), most any of the old classic musicals, "Psycho", and I'd have to say
"The Birds" also, tho I REFUSE to watch it because it terrified me so as a
child!  

Say Anything!

Anything with Al Pachino, Jeff Briggs, Robin Williams, or Monty Python(or parts
of) in it.

"Say Anything" is wonderful!! I also love "The Wizard of Oz"  Although the
books are much better!

RE #26.  I've never understood the people who claim "Duck Soup" is the
quintessential Marx Brothers film.  The last 1/3 of the movie (the battle
scene) is so poorly edited and jumpy that the comedy is lost on me.  

Now, "Animal Crackers".  *There's* the best Marx Brothers film.  I would
not hesitate to say it's one of the all-time best comedies.  Strange figgers...
weird figgers...

(This item is now linked to Arts.)

Reading remmers' list reminds me how lowbrow my taste in movies has 
always been.  Undaunted (kind of late to hide it now, anyway), I've 
put together twelve of my favorites: 

Comedy - THE MUSIC BOX.  But it's awfully hard for me to choose just 
one Laurel and Hardy short.  Can we put them all together and say 
it's, like, one big movie?  

Science Fiction - CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND.  Badly flawed, 
I'm told.  But it's Spielberg's homage to two of my favorite things: 
UFOs, and decent folks from Muncie, Indiana.  I love it.  

Horror - ALIEN.  The claustrophobia, the sick panic, the disco-era 
blinding strobe-lights and deafening noise, the cast, the director, 
the machine-like organisms, the organic-looking machines, H.R.  
Giger, the face-hugger, the chest-burster, the-jaws-within-jaws, 
Jerry Goldsmith's Barberesque score giving way to Howard Hanson's 
2nd Symphony in the closing credits.  The Perfect Movie.  

Action/Adventure - RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.  Farcical megafun.  I've 
seen it a dozen times with my kids, and I never get tired of it.  

Social Satire - THE GROUP.  Based on the Mary McCarthy novel about 
depression-era Vassar grads.  First big roles for: Candace Bergen, 
as a snooty lesbian; Larry Hagman, young, skinny and already 
obnoxious; Carrie Nye (Mrs. Dick Cavett); Elizabeth Hartman, who 
killed herself a couple of years ago; the exquisite Joan Hackett, 
who never lived up to her potential and died ridiculously young; a 
pre-"Soap" Richard Mulligan surprisingly convincing as the sexy 
bohemian cad who breaks Hackett's heart (in real life, they got 
married after this movie); Hal Holbrook, straight from his "Mark 
Twain Tonight" show; young James Broderick as a young doctor; an 
incredibly - nay, gentlemen, a downright painfully - boneriffic 
Jessica Walter; and Joanna Pettet and Mary-Robin Redd, who pretty 
much disappeared afterwards.  (I'm forgetting somebody.  Who?)  I 
haven't seen "The Group" in at least fifteen years.  I've never seen 
it in a video store.  They never show it on TV anymore.  Sigh...  

Mystery - THE LAST OF SHEILA.  Funny and ingenious.  Screenplay by 
Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim!  Best moment: At the very end, 
the camera focuses on Richard Benjamin's face as it registers the 
dawning realization of how thoroughly he's been set up and screwed 
by James Mason, and suddenly Bette Midler's voice bursts in with the 
ebullient "You Gotta Have Friends."  Fade to closing credits over 
Miss Midler's song.  

Musical - SINGIN' IN THE RAIN.  An interviewer once asked Gene Kelly 
if he knew during the filming of the title number that he was adding 
the greatest single scene in an American movie musical to the 
national collective memory.  Kelly said, "No." 

Western - UNFORGIVEN.  The final confrontation is awesome.  
Gunfighter as mythical monster come to life one last time, sending 
the rest of us scrambling for a rock to hide under.  

Farce - THE WORLD OF HENRY ORIENT.  There are so many wonderful 
things in this gentle movie.  Try it, you might like it.  

War - APOCALYPSE NOW.  It makes about as much sense as the war in 
Vietnam did, but the psychedelic war images redeem all.  

Gangster - GODFATHER I and GODFATHER II.  Critics like to prattle on 
about how "Shakespearean" these movies are.  You know, they *are*.

Fascinating choices.  I liked almost all of the movies you list,
but would put only "Singin' in the Rain" in my top favorites list.
I disagree radically only about "Unforgiven", which I didn't like
much at all.  Strange as it may seem, I've never seen "Alien" or
"Apocalypse Now".

"World of Henry Orient".  You mean there's someone on the face of
this earth, besides me, who remembers this Peter Sellers movie
from 1964?

I've always been a closet fan of "The Group".  Saw it three times
when it came out.  I *did* find it in a video store recently and
watched it again, for the first time in over 25 years.  It wears
well.  (Which one was Carrie Nye, by the way?)

_Heathers_ is permanently etched into my brain as my favorite
film, since it so accurately reflects the way I think and feel
about the world.  (You may all run screaming now.)  Other
excellent choices are _Dr._Strangelove_, _Blade_Runner_,
_Monty_Python_and_the_Holy_Grail_, _Bedazzled_ (you must
all watch this, if you haven't!), and _The_Wizard_of_Oz_.

 


    The President's Analyst
    My Man Godfrey
    A Night at the Opera
    A Day at the Races
    The Cocoanuts
    Raising Arizona
    Ben-Hur
    The 10 Commandments
    Sullivan's Travels
    Stand and Deliver
    Amazon Women on the Moon 
    Death Race 2000  (are we awake?)

Forgot "Sullivan's Travels".  That's a favorite of mine too.
As is "Raising Arizona".

Another vote for Arizona,

But I'm amazed at how many of md's fav's I've never heard of.  Remmers fav's
I've at least mostly hear of, if not seen.

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