John Dule's 100 Favorite Films Thread

[John Dule]

I've been going back and forth on whether to do this for a while now, but here it goes. I'll eventually forget about this/get bored, but given what just happened, I feel compelled to talk about my favorite film ever. This gives me a good excuse to start this thread. All posters in here will be from Wikipedia, which should comply with the site's copyright.

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#1: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly



The more I think about this film in the wake of Ennio Morricone's death, the more I realize just how barren it would be without his music. The final scene-- the shootout between Blondie, Tuco, and Angel Eyes-- is almost entirely about the music and how it emphasizes specific moments on the screen. It is the perfect musical score for a movie that defies the cliches of the western genre; it captures the enormity and mystery of the west with an original, haunting sound that is equal parts melancholy and gritty. The overall structure of the main theme is relatively simple, but Morricone uses unique instruments and sounds that capture the listener's imagination-- because it is genuinely like nothing you have ever heard before.

On a recent rewatch, I also realized just how much of this movie is about Tuco. Eli Wallach is just plain hilarious in this movie. His mannerisms, his twitchy paranoid movements, his visible confusion as he tries to read the word "idiots"... it's one of the most underrated performances of all time. The plot is brilliant, and the ways that the characters cross and uncross paths is a masterclass in building expectations (and then meeting them). It plays out like an American take on Homer's Odyssey-- like Odysseus, the characters must wade through a seemingly unrelated tangle of misadventures and double-crosses to achieve their goal. Unlike Odysseus, however, their final goal is money, and the great war is merely a backdrop to their lives. It is a uniquely American take on the concept of heroism (even if it's populated by Italians and Spaniards).

Sometimes when I want to feel depressed, I imagine what this movie would look like if it were made today. It would probably be about an hour and 45 minutes long. The bridge subplot would be cut entirely. Chris Pratt would play Tuco. Ugh.

I won't write this much in other installments. I just wanted to say that ever since I first saw this film (when I was probably about eight years old), Morricone's music has been in my head. The world lost a genius yesterday.

[Progressive Pessimist]

This forum in general seems to almost universally agree that this movie is great, from what I've seen. It seems to come up quite often in movie discussion threads and even a recent thread of its own on this board. I would agree also. It's not my absolute favorite film of all time, but it is my absolute favorite Western, a genre which I tend not to care for more often than not. There is a reason why it is often the first Western that people think of even if they haven't seen it.

 I also share your esteem for Tuco. I wish he was the iconic character that he deserves to be. In a way he really is the heart of the movie, and certainly it's best character. The whole subplot with his brother is fantastic, and I always loved how he was sort of a comedic relief character but also still very much a badass at the same time.

And I think I mentioned in the Ennio Morricone thread that I am actually watching it this weekend with my friend who has never seen it before. It should be fun.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

While there ought to be at least one of the trilogy on your list, I'm doubtful it should be #1, and if it is, it should be For a Few Dollars More

[Progressive Pessimist]

While there ought to be at least one of the trilogy on your list, I'm doubtful it should be #1, and if it is, it should be For a Few Dollars More

'For A Few Dollars More' is also another one of the few Westerns I like, but I just don't quite like it as much as 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.' It just doesn't quite feel as epic. I do prefer it to the previous loose "Dollars Trilogy" entry: 'A Fistful of Dollars' which I saw before and liked okay, but was fairly forgettable to me. The Morricone score in both of them is still rad though and definitely served as the precursor to his more iconic score in 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.'

[John Dule]

I've watched both of the other films in the Dollars Trilogy multiple times, but as much as I want to love them, I've never felt the same way about them that I feel about The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Progressive Pessimist is right; the scale and grandeur of TGTBTU is on an entirely different level than its predecessors. With each successive film in the series, it feels like Leone and Morricone are honing their skills until they become capable of telling the story they were always meant to tell together. For me, the music, plotting, cinematography, dialogue, and performances all improve with each film. Don't get me wrong, Fistful and For A Few Dollars More are both great... but they are not masterpieces.

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#2: Lawrence of Arabia



My film professor in high school once told me that you have to see Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen to fully appreciate it. That may be true; I've only ever seen it on my TV. I can imagine that David Lean's haunting desert landscapes are best appreciated in a theater-- the first sunrise in Arabia is a moment I've always wanted to see full-scale-- but even so, something tells me that this film would work even if you watched it on an iPhone.

More than anything else, Lawrence of Arabia is about the power of personality in history, and how one man with a vision can alter the world. This is the sort of character study we need to look to when examining the past. TE Lawrence is the archetype of the great man, and with that word comes some good deeds and some truly terrible ones. What would a Lawrence, an Alexander, a Patton, or a Caesar think of the age we live in today? How would they feel about generations living and dying without experiencing war, in which our only heroes are celebrities and politicians? How would they feel about us judging them for their deeds, which they performed under circumstances that are entirely alien to us? I can't imagine that they would take us very seriously.

When we elevate a person to mythical status, it becomes easy to forget that they were often just as flawed, self-doubting, and confused as the rest of us. This film captures the beautiful range of human complexity in the life of one man. It's an incredible work of art.

[Orwell]

Never seen these movies, my favorite movie is The Departed, there is also The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Goodfellas, and It's a wonderful life. These first two movies have been boomer flicks.

[Devout Centrist]

While there ought to be at least one of the trilogy on your list, I'm doubtful it should be #1, and if it is, it should be For a Few Dollars More

As someone who grew up watching these films, I gotta agree with this. The final duel in FFDM is fantastic.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I can see the argument that TGTBaTU distills the spaghetti western into its most distinctive form. However, FaFDM has a better story and much more sympathetic and relatable characters. Only Tuco is even marginally sympathetic in TGTBaTU.

[RI]

My film professor in high school once told me that you have to see Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen to fully appreciate it. That may be true; I've only ever seen it on my TV.

I'm very excited for the new 4K release which just came out. LoA's 70mm in 4k should look phenomenal on a large screen.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

John, are you sure you're not my younger brother? Fairly sure he's same year in school, would sport an L-avatar, and is a dedicated kinosexual who would put these at the top of his list. Of course, he doesn't live in California....

[Progressive Pessimist]

'Lawrence of Arabia' is a movie I have always wanted to see but has always eluded me. I don't think I've ever encountered it on cable or a streaming service in the time that I've been interested in watching it. Some day I'll see it, I'm sure.

[T'Chenka]

'Lawrence of Arabia' is a movie I have always wanted to see but has always eluded me. I don't think I've ever encountered it on cable or a streaming service in the time that I've been interested in watching it. Some day I'll see it, I'm sure.

It's on Canadian Netflix right now. There are ways to trick Netflix into thinking you are Canadian.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

'Lawrence of Arabia' is a movie I have always wanted to see but has always eluded me. I don't think I've ever encountered it on cable or a streaming service in the time that I've been interested in watching it. Some day I'll see it, I'm sure.

It's on Canadian Netflix right now. There are ways to trick Netflix into thinking you are Canadian.

It's on IMDb TV here, but you have to deal with some ads.

[Santander]

Good choices, both would be in my top 5 for English-language movies.

[John Dule]

Never seen these movies, my favorite movie is The Departed, there is also The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Goodfellas, and It's a wonderful life. These first two movies have been boomer flicks.

And those aren't Boomer flicks? Three of those will appear on this list, btw.

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#3: Cinema Paradiso



For those of you keeping track at home, this is the second Morricone-scored film in my top three movies. If there is any rival to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly's soundtrack, it is Cinema Paradiso's. These two scores together are a perfect illustration of the range of sound that Morricone worked with, and the variety of emotions he was capable of evoking. This is a deeply sentimental film, and Morricone distills that feeling down to its essence in this score. It is the type of music that will make you feel nostalgia for things you never experienced.

Cinema Paradiso has a curious relationship with nostalgia-- it engages in unapologetic heartstring-tugging, but at the same time it's critical of nostalgic attitudes. It recognizes that in order for us to progress, we must learn to move on from the past; at the same time, it recognizes the value in remembering where we came from. This balanced, honest look at life is what elevates it above other tearjerkers and propels it into the realm of truly great filmmaking. Toto's transformation into a successful adult requires that he puts certain things behind him, but this is never portrayed as a moral compromise (as it so often is in similar films)-- rather, it speaks to the strength of his character. The movie also has an (admittedly minor) undercurrent of anti-censorship, which appeals to my libertarian sensibilities. Oh, and of course, it's about a kid who loves movies... which probably plays a part in my appreciation for it as well.

If you haven't seen this movie, I'd invite you to give this a listen quick and see if it doesn't pique your curiosity. This is a film that I think genuinely has something for everyone. It is one of the great joys of life.

[Mr. Smith]

Never seen these movies, my favorite movie is The Departed, there is also The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Goodfellas, and It's a wonderful life. These first two movies have been boomer flicks.

And those aren't Boomer flicks? Three of those will appear on this list, btw.

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#3: Cinema Paradiso



For those of you keeping track at home, this is the second Morricone-scored film in my top three movies. If there is any rival to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly's soundtrack, it is Cinema Paradiso's. These two scores together are a perfect illustration of the range of sound that Morricone worked with, and the variety of emotions he was capable of evoking. This is a deeply sentimental film, and Morricone distills that feeling down to its essence in this score. It is the type of music that will make you feel nostalgia for things you never experienced.

Cinema Paradiso has a curious relationship with nostalgia-- it engages in unapologetic heartstring-tugging, but at the same time it's critical of nostalgic attitudes. It recognizes that in order for us to progress, we must learn to move on from the past; at the same time, it recognizes the value in remembering where we came from. This balanced, honest look at life is what elevates it above other tearjerkers and propels it into the realm of truly great filmmaking. Toto's transformation into a successful adult requires that he puts certain things behind him, but this is never portrayed as a moral compromise (as it so often is in similar films)-- rather, it speaks to the strength of his character. The movie also has an (admittedly minor) undercurrent of anti-censorship, which appeals to my libertarian sensibilities. Oh, and of course, it's about a kid who loves movies... which probably plays a part in my appreciation for it as well.

If you haven't seen this movie, I'd invite you to give this a listen quick and see if it doesn't pique your curiosity. This is a film that I think genuinely has something for everyone. It is one of the great joys of life.

Somehow I'm surprised by this and also not.

It's up there for me as well, but I have to admit that is does get a little melodramatic at parts, and ultimately...it's Morricone's score that elevates an above-average movie into something more.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

I will follow this, and I might do it as well (after you've finished although).

[John Dule]

I will follow this, and I might do it as well (after you've finished although).

Feel free to start anytime; I'd be interested to see your picks. It's going to be a big time investment though. We'll see how long I keep it up.

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#4: Raiders of the Lost Ark



Another sentimental pick. Raiders was my favorite film when I was a kid, and I've probably seen it half a hundred times over my life. I'll admit that recent years have made it hard for me to watch this movie again. The disaster that was Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the ditch that Spielberg has found his career in with films like Ready Player One, and the general whorishness of Disney's Lucasfilm takeover make it hard for me to view Raiders with the same enthusiasm that I once had for it.

But along with the original Star Wars, this movie was one of the first of its kind. And it's stunning that despite the leaps and bounds that film technology has made since 1981, Raiders still holds up on every conceivable level. The practical effects in this movie are almost without equal in the pantheon of action filmmaking. The score by John Williams-- one of few composers who could ever claim to even compete with Morricone-- is legendary. But the film's main selling point is how skillfully it establishes its characters. In a good action movie, the hero's actions tell you something about who they are. Character development is accomplished not through exposition, but by placing the character in a particular situation and watching how he navigates his way through it. We relate to Indy in this movie because through his actions he demonstrates his cleverness, sense of humor, and passion for his line of work (and, of course, because Harrison Ford is effortlessly charming).

Raiders does not have much in the way of a deeper message. Some critics say that this movie is about Spielberg's cathartic Jewish vengeance against Nazism, etc, etc, etc... but that's hardly the point of the story. This is simply the best blockbuster film ever made, period. You can look down on the genre if you like, but if you lump Raiders in with the decades of pale imitators it spawned, you will be sorely missing out.

Also, OMG PUNCH NAZIS U GUISE!!!

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

My favorite bit of Raiders trivia is how the scene with the swordsman was improved because Harrison was under the weather the day they shot the scene. Thankfully, we won't have any revisionism so that we longer have Indy shooting first.

[John Dule]

#5: 12 Angry Men



This is a bit out-of-order from my usual list, but I watched Mister Roberts last night and I've got Henry Fonda on my mind, so what the hell. This movie might have the best script of all time, and it is living proof that "guys talking in a room" can be every bit as thrilling and heart-pounding as any action film. 12 Angry Men is, in many ways, an instructional film for how to engage in reasonable debate. The jury is populated by several unsavory characters-- perhaps the worst of whom is Juror #7, who genuinely doesn't care about the case at all-- but most of these men are honest, decent, intelligent, and concerned with arriving at the truth. It is a very idealized form of the American justice system.

Among the pigheaded tirades and racist remarks of the other jurors, Henry Fonda's character perseveres. This movie is about individualism, about the righteousness of standing against the collective, and about the value of skepticism. Juror #8's best quality is that he is never 100% sure of his convictions; on the other hand, what makes Juror #3 so infuriating is his self-proclaimed certainty that he is right. Thinking critically is never a vice. Being certain is never a virtue. Questioning authority-- whether it is a leader, an idea, or a mob-- is always worth doing.

If I were to choose one film to show to a visiting alien race, it would probably be 12 Angry Men. No other movie showcases humanity's capacity for stupidity, selfishness, stubbornness, callousness, kindness, empathy, compassion, and logic as elegantly as this one does. It really is a remarkable film-- well-written, perfectly acted, and filled with fiery, passionate emotion. As someone who loves to argue, I enjoyed this movie immensely, but I can't imagine anyone it wouldn't appeal to. Its optimism is absolutely infectious.

[Orwell]

Of these first 5 I have seen one of these movies Raiders is a great film but not in my top 5

[MarkD]

I always enjoy 12 Angry Men, both the original and the 1997 remake that was made for Showtime. A remake wasn't necessary, but it was well done anyway.

[John Dule]

#6: Pulp Fiction



To be honest, I was procrastinating on posting this entry in the list because... well, I frankly don't have much to say about Pulp Fiction that hasn't already been said. It's smartly written, smartly directed, and well-acted. While thinking about this film, I'm realizing just how little its story actually matters. By far the most memorable parts are the conversations, which stitch together scenes with smooth transitions and thematic callbacks. Tarantino's dialogue is among the best ever written, and it's a good lesson to filmmakers who indulge themselves too much in clever, cutesy dialogue. Whereas I'm sometimes critical of writers like Aaron Sorkin, whose dialogue is similarly rapid yet also quite stilted, Tarantino makes it look easy.

In many ways, I have to say that BRTD's take on the movie has validity. No, it's not a "Christian propaganda film," but there are spiritual themes here that make Pulp Fiction stand out in the pantheon of Tarantino movies. The film has been called nihilistic, superficial, vapid, and-- that most dreaded of words-- postmodern. But every time I watch it, I'm still torn on whether or not it's making a moral judgement about Vince and Jules' different choices. I think there are lessons to be found there. In any case, the divergence of these two characters at the end of the movie is an interesting commentary on how one event can be interpreted by two people in wildly different ways, and how that can affect the trajectory of their lives.

It's hard to pin down what makes Pulp Fiction so universally enjoyable, but if I had to try, I would say that a lot of it has to do with juxtaposition-- the banal pawnshop with the BDSM dungeon; the eloquent, well-spoken hitmen; the bathrobe-wearing Tarantino discussing how to dispose of a dead body. Juxtaposition is a hard device to use correctly in writing. If you're going for a Saturday Night Live skit or a Marvel movie, all you really need is a cheap, surface-level juxtaposition to get the audience laughing (e.g. "The God of Thunder is in a coffee shop, haha"). However, when juxtapositions are used as the backdrop for a story, which is then populated with believable characters, dialogue, and action, the end result can be just as riveting, unpredictable, and creative as Pulp Fiction. That's how this movie manages to deconstruct so many narrative tropes, and it's also why it still feels fresh 25 years later.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

JD - I have my disagreements with you on most things (heck I only half agree with this list so far!), but I hope you continue this soon. Normally I'd view such a thread as too self-absorbed, but this is probably the most interesting thing that has happened on this forum in a couple months, and I enjoy reading these blurbs. Gives me something to look back on for any films I've yet to see.

[John Dule]

Back by popular demand...



#7: A Clockwork Orange



If/when I get deeper into this list, you will probably notice a pattern of sorts emerging. Two directors-- Stanley Kubrick and Akira Kurosawa-- will together make up about 10% of the movies I include. In my personal opinion, these two are essentially the pinnacle of filmmaking achievement. They also approach their art with entirely different strategies-- Kurosawa generally sets his stories in the same era, focusing intently on deep characterization and raw emotion, whereas Kubrick feels comfortable in nearly any genre or setting, and is more concerned with thematic heft and crafting unique visual atmospheres. In many ways, these two directors could not be more different. But they are without question the best of the best.

A Clockwork Orange, like all of Kubrick's films, is perfectly executed from a visual standpoint. It also features his most memorable character-- Alex DeLarge, a bona fide psychopath who engages in brutal violence, rape, and torture for his own amusement. The movie's greatest achievement is its ability to make this reprehensible character sympathetic, simply by contrasting him with the society in which he exists. As with many of the films on my list of favorites, A Clockwork Orange has distinct anti-authoritarian overtones, and functions primarily as a critique of enforced social conditioning. While the first half of the film goes to great lengths to make Alex a villain (and has therefore been criticized for its gratuitous displays of violence), this is merely in service of the movie's overarching goal-- to argue that no man, however vile he may be, should be subjected to the kind of treatment that Alex receives in the movie's second act. Whatever Alex is in his natural state, he is, at the very least, natural.

A quick note: I typically avoid film adaptations of books when the author explicitly says that he dislikes what the filmmaker has done with his work. This is because I respect original creators and I would prefer to see their stories depicted in a way that they would like (Kubrick's Shining, for example, will not appear on this list). However, I must make an exception for this film. It's better than the book and stays truer to the themes that Burgess wanted to convey (especially in its omission of the final chapter).