Thomas T's favorite/best movies by years 1928-2019 (1 Viewer)

[Thomas T]

Perspective or priorities are always a factor. What's "Best" or "Favorite" and what those words mean. If I was to make a "Fun" list, a lot of yours would be on my list. But then the snob factor plays in, usually in these lists, and those movies don't make it based on that priority.

As I said, favorite and best aren't mutually exclusive and very often are one and the same. But, for me, when it came down to a film I loved (favorite) and a film I know is superior cinematically as "art" (best), I went with the favorite.

 

[BobO'Link]

Perspective or priorities are always a factor. What's "Best" or "Favorite" and what those words mean. If I was to make a "Fun" list, a lot of yours would be on my list. But then the snob factor plays in, usually in these lists, and those movies don't make it based on that priority.

There were more than a few times when that "snob factor" threatened to derail my list. I then resolved myself, took the thread title to heart, and made mine my *favorite* films from each year. Those films I flat out enjoy watching over and over. The ones that bring me joy and happiness. There are often far, far, better films in many years than what I listed. The thing is, while I *do* like many of those which can bring out that "snob factor" they often come in 2nd, 3rd, or lower with that "joy factor."

 

[TravisR]

There were more than a few times when that "snob factor" threatened to derail my list. I then resolved myself, took the thread title to heart, and made mine my *favorite* films from each year. Those films I flat out enjoy watching over and over. The ones that bring me joy and happiness. There are often far, far, better films in many years than what I listed. The thing is, while I *do* like many of those which can bring out that "snob factor" they often come in 2nd, 3rd, or lower with that "joy factor."

I was going to put Schindler's List on my list but excellent movie that it is, it's not exactly one that I'm frequently watching since it's extraordinarily depressing so Dazed And Confused got my 1993 spot.

For 1991, I probably should have put Terminator 2: Judgment Day on instead of The Silence Of The Lambs. As good as Silence is, I enjoy T2 far more.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Re: Vangelis - Well, two films featuring his best known scores made my list. But, hey that is just my opinion.

- Walter.

 

[Thomas T]

We all bring our own "baggage" and personal history into these selections. Sometimes a film will take the top spot for reasons other than its quality. Perhaps a film can have a personal meaning to us that it doesn't have with others.

Take 1960 (I suspect I'm older than most of you guys ) for example. If I were to go strictly by favorite, well ..... if I were honest with myself, it would be, hold on ..... Where The Boys Are. I've probably seen it more times than any other film from 1960. While I think there's more subtext to it than the typical "beach" movies of the era, it probably has more to do with my adolescent crush on Connie Francis at the time and I saw it multiple times at the local Ritz theatre, often sitting through more than one showing (they didn't empty out the theatre after each showing in those days). Revisiting it brings me back to a certain time and pleasure in my life.

But could I honestly choose it in a year that featured stellar work from the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Federico Fellini, Stanley Kubrick, Francois Truffaut to name just a handful? I chose L'Avventura, not because of the snob factor. I didn't see L'Avventura in 1960. My small town didn't show foreign films and what 12 year old goes to foreign movies, anyway? I saw it during my college years and it profoundly affected me. It was the first film that made me realize that movies could be more than entertainment, they could be "art". It's a film that as I revisit through the ensuing years holds up beautifully and shows, perhaps sadly, that people haven't changed all that much since 1960. As many times as I've seen it, that last shot just shatters me.

But I'm getting too serious. This thread was meant to be fun and here I am pontificating. Sorry about that!

 

[Thomas T]

Re: Vangelis - Well, two films featuring his best known scores made my list. But, hey that is just my opinion.

Every time I hear his theme to Chariots Of Fire, I literally have to force myself not to scream . I do like his score to The Bounty though and while I'm not a fan of his music for it, I like Blade Runner.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Noted.

I used to have a friend at work (whom I haven't seen in ages) and we used to discuss / argue the concept of best vs. favorite as it appliles to film. He was of the opinion that the terms were essentially equivalent whereas I felt like best was more of a collective or consensus concept and that favorite was a personal quality. Consequently the 'snob factor' or hoighty-toighty mindset as I previously called it was a factor in compiling my list.

Travis' point regarding Schindler's List is well taken. It is a great film, but it isn't something I can watch very often. Maybe three times since a theatrical viewing in the intervening years. So the films on my list that might be critical darlings are still films that I really enjoy watching.

- Walter.

 

[Bartman]

Luv both of the lists on page 1. A couple of new movies (to me) are available to stream, yippee!

 

[bujaki]

It's a film that as I revisit through the ensuing years holds up beautifully and shows, perhaps sadly, that people haven't changed all that much since 1960. As many times as I've seen it, that last shot just shatters me.

Re: L'avventura. I first saw this on TV in its OAR in the sixties (I might have been around 14); I knew nothing about it going in, so I was invested in the search for the missing woman. Of course, the story went in another direction and it didn't matter one whit to me. I went along with Antonioni (who? at the time), and like you, the last shot shattered me, and still does. A perfect ending.

 

[JohnRice]

Thinking about the whole perspective thing, one year comes to mind where I'm not sure I could make a choice. That's 2016. My obvious favorite is Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival, which I think is not only a mind expanding idea and story, but also extremely moving and essentially perfect filmmaking. Then there is J. A. Bayona's A Monster Calls, which is exceptional filmmaking in its own right, and like Arrival a triumph in the combination of effects and story telling. Arrival is clearly the higher example of the craft, but A Monster Calls just has a power for me that is overwhelming. I genuinely don't think I can choose between the two.

 

[cinemiracle]

I prefer the 1958 release of Dunkirk with John Mills and Richard Attenborough.

So do I- It was a far superior film

 

[cinemiracle]

What surprises me about readers best films seen, is that they are all mostly devoid of silent films and non -American films. Surely some of you must like Foreign and silent films?

 

[bujaki]

What surprises me about readers best films seen, is that they are all mostly devoid of silent films and non -American films. Surely some of you must like Foreign and silent films?

I do. I just don't make lists. I find some of them stimulating in that they trigger memories and a desire to revisit certain titles.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

What surprises me about readers best films seen, is that they are all mostly devoid of silent films and non -American films. Surely some of you must like Foreign and silent films?

On my top 10 films of all time 4 of them are foreign:

1) Wild Strawberries
2) 8 1/2
3) Shadows of our Forgotten Ancestors
4) The Garden of the Finzi Continis

 

[bujaki]

On my top 10 films of all time 4 of them are foreign:

1) Wild Strawberries
2) 8 1/2
3) Shadows of our Forgotten Ancestors
4) The Garden of the Finzi Continis

One of my favorite Bergman films. And The Garden is an unjustly neglected film.

 

[JohnRice]

What surprises me about readers best films seen, is that they are all mostly devoid of silent films and non -American films. Surely some of you must like Foreign and silent films?

I've found that silent films have been something of a rarity in the last 80 years. Regarding foreign language ones, which I assume is what you meant, some of the lists have quite a few, others don't. Not everyone watches them, or that many of them.

 

[Thomas T]

What surprises me about readers best films seen, is that they are all mostly devoid of silent films and non -American films. Surely some of you must like Foreign and silent films?

Well, we like what we like but I'll point out that my list includes 19 foreign films from Argentina, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Sweden. That doesn't include British films (which although in the English language are foreign). While there are only 2 silent films on my list, I started with 1928 which was also the start of the sound era. While I have many silent favorites prior to 1928 (Napoleon, Holy Mountain, Metropolis, Variete, Gosta Berling's Saga, Die Nibelungen, Strike, King Of Kings, Orphans Of The Storm, Iron Horse, Michael, Last Laugh, Camille, Way Down East, Ben-Hur, Salome etc.), I simply hadn't seen enough to make an informed decision about the best of their years.

 

[TravisR]

I've found that silent films have been something of a rarity in the last 80 years.

Yeah, silents essentially died when the talkie was introduced.


It's a fair critique of my list to say that it's lacking in foreign films and while I have seen the most famous ones, I prefer the movies that I listed. While I periodically check out Silent Sunday on TCM, my knowledge of silents is basically limited to Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton and Alfred Hitchcock so I didn't want to pick from that relatively limited (albeit great) pool.

 

[JohnRice]

Yeah, silents essentially died when the talkie was introduced.

I guess I thought the sarcasm would be obvious.

 

[bujaki]

I guess I thought the sarcasm would be obvious.

'Twas to me!