quote: Mark Lensenmayer

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Lawrence of Arabia (70mm print shown theatrically..it is not perfect in any other form)
Singin' In The Rain

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quote: Justin Hamaker

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I also think that most of the really good movies of the last 20 years or so are superior to most movies from the past in terms of story telling, pacing, acting, and most of the technical aspects.

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You hit the nail right on the head. Movies today are way better than they were in the past, and they will continue to get better. This is not so much because of advances in technology, but because of advances in technique.

There's this great documentary on editing called THE CUTTING EDGE. It's available on DVD, and can also be found in 1080p on the BULLIT Blu-ray disc. They do a wonderful job of demonstrating how the craft of filmmaking is always evolving. When someone figures out a new and better way to do something, it strikes a chord with other filmmakers, and they inject those ideas into their own work. So it only makes sense that modern movies are better than older ones, because today's filmmakers have more tools (creatively speaking) at their disposal.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 10-14-2008, 01:40 AM:
 
"Cameron is so tight that if you shove a lump of coal up his ass, in a week you'd have a diamond" - Ferris Bueller (1986)

..excellent all the way!

John Hughes knew how to make movies!

"Zach Mayo - Mayo-naisse!"
 

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Posted by Christian Appelt (Member # 1067) on 10-14-2008, 07:35 AM:
 
...in no particular order:

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Some Like It Hot (1958)
Pickup on South Street (1953)
The Great Escape (1963)
North By Northwest (1959)
La Dolce Vita (1959)
Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
M (1931)
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
The Apartment (1960)
The Hustler (1961)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
(in a good 70mm print, not the disastrous new print I saw which was an insult both to the original photography and to Robert A. Harris' restoration work)
The Red Shoes (1948)
La Maschera del Demonio (1960, aka Black Sunday)
Ryan's Daughter (1970)
 

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Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 10-14-2008, 07:47 AM:
 
No, technically speaking...most modern movies do NOT live up to their older bretherin. Those in the past used everything they had to its fullest. Conversely modern films use technology as a crutch. In fact, most modern films are technically incompetent with truely uninspired soundtracks, over use of Super-35 (which isn't super anything) and lose the dialog within their over zelous music and effects. If your Dear Hunter sound track sounds thin...it wasn't due to how it was made...it sure didn't in the theatres. Note, the clowns of today can't seem to be able to use such advances (of 50-years ago) as 65mm or even panned dialog without making it distracting. Yes, the effects of yesterday seem a bit hokey though many stand up just fine today. In fact, today's effects seem too cookie cutter and once again fake.

But back on topic.

I absolutely appreciate THE STING being about as perfect as it cane be...it is up there on my list.

Mr. Holland's Opus is another one of those for me...if you were alive for most of the eras it covers...it does a pretty good job of capturing the feel...the music and acting are excellent too. It is certainly on the tops of my favorites.

Forrest Gump. I think my words on that were "Instant Classic"...I remember thinking after seeing that film...too bad Tom Hanks won the Oscar the year before for Philadelphia...it might hurt his chances for this masterpiece.

The Sound of Music. What can I say...supurb Cinematography with one of the best mixes ever done and a great story. Must be seen in 70mm to take in the full experience...It must be heard in 6-track stereo. It is proof that panned dialog works VERY well when done well.

2001: A Space Odyssey...my favorite of all time. It too combines everything from wonderful camera work, phenominal sound to brilliant acting. Some find it a bore...to each their own.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Certainly not a masterpiece but was EVERYTHING it needed to be and most everyone I know, liked it quite a bit. Little if anything could be added to the movie to improve it.

FAME. The acting was spot on and it really captured the feel of that era...even if you didn't go to an Arts school. It is in my personal top-ten, if not in anyone elses.

Silence of the Lambs. Very well acted and everything really was brought together nicely to create an unmistakable feel in that movie.

Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World....if there ever was a film destined to flop due to the over-heavy star talent...this one was it...but it didn't. A wonderful romp and everything a comedy needed to be. The cinematography, sound...etc...were excellent.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Excellent from beginning to end.

I reserve the right to edit/ammend this list later!

Steve
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-14-2008, 07:56 AM:
 
Agreed completely with Lawrence. And, yes, it should be seen _only_ in 70mm.

Also: Citizen Kane, Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, The Conversation, Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain (even though I'm not normally big on musicals), 2001, The General (Buster Keaton version), Casablanca, Toy Story, 32 Short Films about Glenn Gould, Alphaville, and probably a bunch of others that don't immediately come to mind.
 

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Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 10-14-2008, 08:01 AM:
 
"Days of Heaven" - Originally shown in 70mm, and won best cinematography award. Described in American Film as a "painterly", the photography was exceptionally beautiful. And coupled with a Morricone score and Terrence Makick direction it was something to behold. Sadly, I heard no 70mm prints exist today.

[ 10-14-2008, 11:20 AM: Message edited by: Rick Raskin ]
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 10-14-2008, 09:23 AM:
 
I could have sworn Days of Heaven was originally shot on 35mm and then blown up to 70mm. Nevertheless, Nestor Almendros' Oscar winning cinematography was a great achievement. Although the movie is great looking, I don't consider it to be "perfect" in terms of its dramatic narrative.

It's difficult to honestly think of movies that seem perfect in their planning and execution. Classics like Lawrence of Arabia and Casablanca deserve to be mentioned.

We all have our own bias toward movies we regard as favorites, even if they're flawed in some way, because they entertained us to the point where we left the theater with that "movie high."

There's parts of Die Hard that are honestly pretty stupid, but that show seemed to hit the right notes amidst a blistering 70mm 6-track Dolby Stereo presentation. I went into the theater certain I was going to hate it (it will be Moonlighting in 70mm). I was really surprised at how much I liked that movie. E.T.: The Extraterrestrial was another that hit me that way. I was 14 when I saw the movie and I just thought, "ugh, this is going to be a movie for little kids," but I wound up really getting blown away by it -and then angrily pissed when Gandhi beat it for the Best Picture Oscar.

There's a decent number of movies made within the last 30 years that seem perfect and not diluted with wasteful scenes.

The Shawshank Redemption is one that comes to mind. That movie plumbs some dark emotional depths and yet reaches an exhilarating high at the end.

I consider L.A. Confidential one of the very best movies of the 1990s, even though it was shot in Super35. That movie works on numerous levels and gets away with taking huge chances, such as what the protagonist does with the villain near the end of the movie. The Usual Suspects is another favorite.

There's lots of others I'm leaving out. If this thread goes on long enough it's certain most of the great ones will get mentioned.
 

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Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 10-14-2008, 10:18 AM:
 
JAWS
 

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Posted by Michael Barry (Member # 237) on 10-14-2008, 11:00 AM:
 
I'm going to get all artsy on you - I'm putting down Ingmar Bergman's 'Wild Strawberries', 'Winter Light' and 'Persona'.

Movie heaven!
 

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Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 10-14-2008, 11:05 AM:
 
I always found "The Patriot" to be one of the best!
 

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Posted by Mike Schindler (Member # 1309) on 10-14-2008, 01:09 PM:
 
If you like THE PATRIOT, check out THE LIMEY. Same story in only half the time, and with a point.
 

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Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 10-14-2008, 02:10 PM:
 
Some great suggestions here. Glad to see some of my favorites are shared by others and I definitely plan to see LOA again...but you 70mm guys are bumming me out. Let me say when the blu-ray disc pops up on my 65 HD TV and plays through my home audio setup it will be as close as possible to the 70mm experience as I am likely to get.

I do want to comment on someone's list...

quote: Julie Lucero

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STAR WARS (1977)
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN (1982)
SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984)
THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985)
FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (1986)
THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989)
GHOST (1990)
TITANIC (1997)

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Julie, I agree with many of these and from some of the titles I guess you are younger than me. I am particularly impressed that you added "An Officer and a Gentleman" which would not have crossed my mind. In fact most Taylor Hackford films are meticulously crafted. Films like Ray, The Idolmaker and The Devil's Advocate also qualify in my opinion. On the other hand...

Two of the films on your list definitely have that awkward chill-inducing dialog problem. Empire Strikes Back is one and...worse yet...Titanic.

Titanic is SO CLOSE to perfection it's criminal that it isn't. Even the sappy love story is palatable enough...but the childish 16 y/o girl dialog isn't. With about three minutes of re-edits or re-shot footage it could be perfect. The "spit like a man" scene is so bad the words are like a cheese grater on my eardrums. Doesn't anyone have the guts to go to a James Cameron and say "Jim, that one sequence is really lame"? It takes a three and a half hour movie that moves at lightning speed through 99% of it and stops it dead in it's tracks. I recall there being a few other bits of dialog that made me squirm too - like in the third class party scene. Sorry to go off on this tangent but it's the only film I can think of that was so incredibly great for such a huge percentage of it's "titanic" length yet has little snippets that are so devastatingly, ridiculously bad.
 

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Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 10-14-2008, 04:25 PM:
 
I'll bite.

I agree with a lot of these suggestions, and respectfully disagree with some too. Bear with me, since my list is based mostly on my DVD collection and trying to remember what I've seen at theaters over the course of several years.

Bobby mentions The Shawshank Redemption, which is a movie much beloved to me, and deserves mention as being one movie that kicks the crap out of the book. That Morgan Freeman's character is originally Irish is neat too.

Obviously, pretty much anything Lang touched was gold, at least in the silent era. I haven't seen any of his talkies, and many great directors didn't make that transition well. Godard's Contempt (Le Mepris), which features Fritz Lang in the role of Fritz Lang, is another masterpiece and favorite of mine, and funny too.

Murnau's Nosferatu is perhaps my all time favorite movie, and I'm going to see it in 35mm with live accompaniment from the Alloy Orchestra for the second time 12 days from now. I'm super pumped.

Also deserving of the title "perfect movie" is Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc, which is perhaps the best shot movie of all time. I haven't seen every movie, but this beats most everything I have seen by a good margin. Saw it at the inimitable Redford Theatre a few years ago with a live choir. I don't think even the recovered Metropolis footage will displace this as the greatest lost movie find ever, especially considering the discovered print of The Passion was found in a janitor's closet in an Oslo asylum, of all places.

And to list a few more:
Dr. Strangelove
Okamoto's Kill!
Kobayashi's Samurai Rebellion
The Seven Samurai
The William Castle version of House on Haunted Hill

I'll go out on a limb and say Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums, but I bet a lot of people here are going to want to rip that to shreds. That's fine, I think it speaks more to my generation anyhow. My mother loves it, but she's pretty "hip" and "with it", we even take her to concerts and don't pretend she isn't our mother.

I could probably go on for another 50 movies, but I've paced every hall in my house for an hour racking my brain and rifled through my DVDs 5 times already. Maybe later.
 

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Posted by Julie Lucero (Member # 4959) on 10-14-2008, 06:34 PM:
 

quote: Joe Tommassello

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Two of the films on your list definitely have that awkward chill-inducing dialog problem. Empire Strikes Back is one

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How so? Example(s), please.

I'll go one step beyond and proclaim THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK the best sequel ever made.
 

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Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 10-14-2008, 09:27 PM:
 
While _I_ certainly like Empire the best of the Star Wars...it is not a universal opinion as attendence figures will show.

As to best sequals...normally that honor consistantly goes to Godfather II. In fact, most consider Godfather II to surpass the original (I don't agree). To win back-to-back Oscars for the Godfather I and II is a pretty impressive feat.

I would add to the list many of the Charlie Chaplin films too.

Steve
 

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Posted by Allison Parsons (Member # 2728) on 10-14-2008, 10:31 PM:
 
My perfect 'adult' movie:


My pefect 'kids' movie:

 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 10-14-2008, 11:16 PM:
 
Empire Strikes Back would have to make my list. I still clearly remember seeing it for the first time. I sneaked out of work to see the first show on opening day at the Edwards Big Newport, in 5/70 of course. After the movie I walked out of the theater thinking Wow: Irvin Kershner did a masterful job with this movie.

My list of perfect movies must include Airplane!.

I will be ridiculed for saying this but I also love Out of Africa.
 

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 10-14-2008, 11:18 PM:
 
The Most Dangerous Game
KING KONG the original
Chinatown
Inherit the Wind
The Sting
Adventures of Robin Hood (Flynn version)
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-15-2008, 01:39 AM:
 
Wow, I'm surprised Shawshank Redemption only got mentioned by two people. It is definitely fitting of the "perfect movie" title. City Lights (1931) is another excellent piece of filmmaking that I'll bet few people these days have seen. There are tons more (most from the 80s and 90s), but it seems Hollywood for the most part has hit its peak and is on a downward spiral toward a steaming pile of poo.

I see there are a lot of fans of Ferris Bueller. You guys should check out License to Drive.

To Steve, Mr. Holland's Opus was AWFUL! What were you smoking when you saw that?
 

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Posted by Mike Schindler (Member # 1309) on 10-15-2008, 01:43 AM:
 
I recently re-watched all six Star Wars films back-to-back. While all of them are great movies, I'm always amazed by how much better EMPIRE is than all of the others. It certainly is nearly perfect. Kershner is the bomb.

Another movie which needs to be on the list is KILL BILL.

And not to knock LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, but if a movie needs to be seen in a particular format in order for it to work, that means it's not perfect.
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 10-15-2008, 02:53 AM:
 
if it doesn't need to be seen in a particular format, then it isn't perfectly using its medium.
 

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Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 10-15-2008, 02:41 PM:
 
It's not that it NEEDS to be seen in 70mm, but once you have seen it in 70, it's hard to recommend anything less.

This movie in particular just blows you away.

My Dad once said you could count the grains of sand on the screen. I thought he was kidding...then I ran it for myself in 70mm. He wasn't kidding.

It's the only film I ran in 5/70 that I thought these guys look so real they could easily walk off the screen and out onto the stage and no-one would notice anything wrong.

See it in 70mm and tell me how many grains of sand there are...we'll see if our numbers match.
 

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Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 10-15-2008, 03:51 PM:
 

quote:

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quote: Joe Tommassello
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Two of the films on your list definitely have that awkward chill-inducing dialog problem. Empire Strikes Back is one
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How so? Example(s), please.

I'll go one step beyond and proclaim THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK the best sequel ever made.

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quote: Mike Schindler

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Kershner is the bomb.

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quote: Joe Tommassello

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Yeah, that's great writing! Don't get me wrong...I agree it is arguably the best of the series and it was a real "WOW" when it came out (in 70mm and 6-track)...but in retrospect I like the first one better. Remember - for me a perfect movie has to have NO dialog that takes me out of the moment...and ESB does. I would put the first "Star Wars" (now Episode Four) on the list first

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quote: Mark Gulbrandsen

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Billy Wilder film

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quote: Joe Tommassello

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Yeah, that's great writing! Don't get me wrong...I agree it is arguably the best of the series and it was a real "WOW" when it came out (in 70mm and 6-track)...but in retrospect I like the first one better. Remember - for me a perfect movie has to have NO dialog that takes me out of the moment...and ESB does. I would put the first "Star Wars" (now Episode Four) on the list first.

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quote: Sally Ann Burgess

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Amadeus

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Good call on that one, Sally!
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-15-2008, 10:50 PM:
 

quote:

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but can't help how much I gagged on "ANNIE!"

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quote: Mark Gulbrandsen

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Even the great directors have one or two "misses" in the library

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quote: Mike Schindler

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And even if it weren't, that's just one scene. And it doesn't take the viewer out of the movie nearly as much as the snail-paced Death Star climax of STAR WARS.

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It only takes one scene. You really think that's good writing? Considering you think Boogie Nights "may be the best movie ever made" I shouldn't be surprised.

I was dazzled by ESB when it first came out and for years considered it the best in the series. In time I came to appreciate the first film more.
 

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Posted by Shane Cooper (Member # 2510) on 10-17-2008, 10:44 AM:
 
So, I have limited my responses to my collection and what I find to be, (for me), the perfect movies from each major genre:

Comedy

Airplane - Has anyone been able to pull of a since that worked as well as the hitting the fan!?!
Blazing Saddles - Oh boys, look what I got over here!
Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Proving why the world is a worse place without John Candy in it.

Romance

Love Actually - It teeters at times on the side of too sweet, but in the end I love this movie and watch it whenever it is on.
Say Anything - A boombox and Ione Skye...what else do you need?

Drama

Usual Suspects
Three Kings - Hands down, this is the movie that exceeded my expectations more than any other, (come on, Marky Mark, Ice Cube and the guy from ER?).
Chinatown
Pleasantville - Everytime I watch this movie, I find something new or interesting to love. All of the homages and little touches really make it special for me.

My Own Personal Guilty Pleasures

Star Trek: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 - yeah, I am that guy
Starship Troopers - I don't know what it is about this movie, the pornographic violence, the toned and tanned 90210 cast, the fact that it resembles very little of the book, but I watch this movie anytime it pops on my tv.
 

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Posted by Mike Schindler (Member # 1309) on 10-17-2008, 05:32 PM:
 

quote: Joe Tommassello

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You really think that's good writing? Considering you think Boogie Nights "may be the best movie ever made" I shouldn't be surprised

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Let's see a show of hands here: Who thinks the "nerfherder" scene from EMPIRE was well-written, and who thinks it's not?

As others have pointed out, STAR WARS has cheesy dialogue too. What it doesn't have is that rich photography or breakneck pacing or that heartbreaking ending, or any of those other elements which make EMPIRE waaaaaaaay better than just about any other movie except for, of course, BOOGIE NIGHTS.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-17-2008, 06:36 PM:
 
Well you've got a point there. Boogie Nights did have a "big" ending.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 10-17-2008, 08:09 PM:
 
I remember all of the hoopla about the Boogie Nights ending. To be honest I wasn't really impressed, though I only saw that part from the booth. It was an alright movie from what I saw, though. It was definitely the role Burt Reynolds was born to play.

quote: Mark J. Marshall

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Tell your Kershner story, Joe.

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