Favorite Movies of All Time

[Essence Lumin]

I'd love to hear your thoughts. These came to mind for me.

Being There
Peter Sellers stars. He is Chance the Gardener later known as Chauncy Gardener. He lives in a beautiful house with gardens in a not so beautiful part of New York City. The owner has died and Chance has to travel on his own. He looks distinguished. He is not too bright. However, Shirley Mclaine's driver accidentally hits him and he is invited to their place. He meets well connected people and by no intention teaches them about life in ways such as "As long as the roots are not severed, things are well and will be well. In the Garden."

If I had to recommend my favorite movie to a stranger this would be it since it is in English, it is about adults, it doesn't involve dark comedy such as in the President's Analyst.

King of Hearts
There are two versions of this movie. One of these is subtitled and one is dubbed. I strongly recommend the subtitled version. In the first few minutes there is a war going on.
Charles Plumpick is sent to the town to investigate. The inmates of the insane asylum are free now. Their understanding of reality is a bit different but so lovely, heartbreaking at times.

Secret Garden 1949 version starring Margaret O'Brien
Oh gosh, children learning about life and each other. There is a moment near the middle of the movie that completely took my breath away when I first saw it. I can't say any more or I would spoil it.

The Presidents Analyst
James Coburn is the president's analyst as the title says. As you might imagine this is a high risk job. This movie is extremely dark and funny. The ultimate villain is ... I can't tell you that, but of course that is who it would be considering the time the movie was made. Three letters describe it.

 

[Lexxi]

Clue: Jonathan Lynn; Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, Colleen Camp
Murder/Mystery/Humor
A man has been blackmailing a bunch of people, he holds a diner party with the people he was blackmailing. Dies within minutes. Movie then proceeds with attempting to determine the killer.
Based on a board game first created in 1943 and first sold in 1949.

Die Hard: John McTiernan; Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia
Action/Thriller
Terrorists take over a building in LA California during a Christmas party. A cop from NY is in the building to visit his estranged wife, and fights them (the terrorists, partially with his wife).
Based on the book "Nothing Lasts Forever" by Roderick Thorp.

Duel: Steven Spielberg; Dennis Weaver
A man is driving along when he pisses off a truck driver. Movie basically follows along as the driver is chased by that driver.
Movie based on a short story written by the script writer of the film - Richard Matheson.

Everything Everywhere All at Once: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert; Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong
A weird movie where weird stuff happens. Like a mother and daughter being in an another universe as rocks.

Galaxy Quest: Dean Parisot; Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Daryl Mitchell, Enrico Colantoni, Robin Sachs
Back in the day, there was this tv show called "Galaxy Quest". It went off the air and the actors from it, for the most part, mostly make money by going to conventions. Aliens catch the signal broadcasting the tv show and think it is a documentary. Flies over to get help from the Galaxy Quest crew. Is a parody of Star Trek.

Glass Onion: Rian Johnson; Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Janelle Manae
A private detective is invited, unexpected to the host, to a party held by a super rich dude. People start dying and/or being threatened by death and the PI, Daniel Craig, investigates.
Is sequel to Knives out.

Groundhog Day: Harold Ramis; Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
A TV weatherman is in a particular small town for, like, the 800th time to broadcast Groundhog Day. Weather gets bad so can't return to the city that same day. Next morning he wakes up and. . . it's groundhog day again! Repeat.

Gung Ho: Ron Howard; Michael Keaten, Gedde Watanabe, George Wendt, Mimi Rogers
A Japanese company buys an American car factory.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: Steven Spielberg; Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody, Denholm Elliott
Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford, goes on an adventure with his dad, Sean Connery.
Based on: prior films.

Knives Out: Rian Johnson; Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Anas de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield
A best selling author hosts a party for his family. Certain things happen at that party, the next morning the author is dead. Daniel Craig, a detective, is called in by the local police to help solve the murder mystery.

A League of their Own: Penny Marshall; Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, Tom Hanks
Men, most, go to war, WWII. Women fill the now empty baseball stadiums by playing professional baseball from 1943-1954. This is their story.

Murder by Death: Robert Moore; Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Eileen Brennan
A bunch of famous detectives have a dinner party. They investigate a murder mystery.

National Lampoon's Vacation: Harold Ramis; Chevy Chase, Bevelry D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy
A family goes on vacation, a car trip, across the nation to a theme park.
Based on John Hughes short story titled Vacation '58.

The Natural: Barry Levinson; Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger
An up and coming potential superstar is cut down before he has a chance. He returns in his 50s (okay, Redford looked like he was in his 50s, the character might have supposed to be, like, 38) to try again to play in the baseball majors.
Based on the book of the same name by Bernard Melamud.

No Time to Die: Cary Joji Fukunaga; Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Rami Malek
James Bond does stuff.
Based on the books by Ian Fleming.

Pink Panther: Blake Edwards; David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Capucine
A thief, David Niven as the Phantom, steals things (like a jewel called The Pink Panther). A detective, poorly, investigates (Peter Sellers).

Princess Bride: Rob Reiner; Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Paktin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Andre Rene Roussimoff, Fred Savage, Peter Falk, Carol Kane, Bill Crystal
A poor farm boy goes off to make his fortune, is assumed to have died due to pirate. His love interest is picked up by the local ruling dude to be his bride, the Princess Bride. Poor farm boy didn't really die and comes back to see what's up with his love interest.
Based on the book of the same name by William Goldman.

Quick Change: Howard Franklin, Bill Murray; Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid, Dale Grand
Bill Murray robs a bank.
Based on book of same name by Jay Cronley.

Rear Window: Alfred Hitchcock; James Stewart, Grace Kelly
James Stewart is injuried, while resting in his apartment, he spots what he thinks is a murder occurring in an apartment he can see across the way from his own apartment. He attempts to investigate.
Based on "It Had to Be Murder" 1942 story in Dime Detective by Cornell Woolrich

Shaun of the Dead: Edgar Wright; Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield
A dude who spends most of his time in a bar wakes up one day to realize that zombies are real and wandering around. He attempts to round up his loved ones and go somewhere defensible. Naturally, that means going to that bar he spends most of his life in.

Spaceballs: Mel Brooks; Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Mel Brooks, Daphne Zuniga
Parody of Star Wars.

Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan: Nicholas Meyer; William Shatner, Ricardo Montolban, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Walter Koenig, George Takei, James Doohan
The host of Fantasy Island wakes up in a space ship with his family. Gets into an arguement with the Star Trek Enterprise. This was one of the episodes from the original TV series. This movie is a follow-up. Khan had been dumped on a barely liveable planet. Caused issues with his people staying alive. Gets into another fight with the Enterprise people.

Total Recall: Paul Verhoeven; Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Rachel Ticotin, Ronny Cox
A man decides to go to a place that can implant memories into his brain. Anything. A vacation, a spy thriller, anything. Turns out he already had some hidden memories, being surpressed. Goes to Mars.
Based on a story by Philip K. Dick.

Train to Busan: Sang-ho Yeon; Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok
A man goes on a trian trip in Korea. Zombies attack.

True Lies: James Cameron; Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold
A family man lied to his wife for many years. He is actually not a boring dude, he is a spy.
Based on a 1991 film titled La Totale!

The Warriors: Walter Hill; Michael Beck, James Remar, Dorsay Wright
Gang members walk around New York City.
Based on book of same name by Sol Yurick.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

• "The Fall"(2006)/Tarsem Singh - A suicidal injured stuntman and a small girl with a broken arm keep each other company while convalescing. He wants her help stealing meds, and tries to charm her with stories and her naivete and poor grasp of English turn them into wild surrealistic visions.
• "Cloud Atlas"(2012) - 7 interwoven stories in different time periods, each on the cusp of different oppressed groups fighting for liberation
• "Ready Player One"(2018) - one of those few 'movie was way better than the book' titles. It's not great but it's one of my all time favorites.
• "Tron Legacy"(2010) - like Ready Player One, it's just one of those movies that I can watch over and over. Pacing is a little clunky, continuity isn't smooth, but the visuals, some of the subtle symbiology worked into the visual art, the dualistic metaphor pitting the conquering hubris of idealism vs the passivity of wisdom. And the soundtrack, which is pure eargasm from start to finish for me.
• "The Usual Suspects"(1995) - all around just an outstanding movie.
• "Dune(1984)" - yes yes, it's a terrible movie. I love anyway. The sets, the costumes, the music.... all make up for the cartoony 'villains', the one dimensional characters.

And for some reason, gay/Canadian films are on my list too.

• "Lilies"(1996) - a bishop comes to hear a long incarcerated murder's confession, it turns into a play put on by the inmates featuring critical moments the murderer and bishop shared as young men, very gay, story of love, jealousy, betrayal. Like The Fall, its another 'the story itself is shaped by the story within it'.
• 'C.R.A.Z.Y"(2005) - conservative father / gay son, coming out tale, set in the 60's / 70's.

Also, for now:

• "3000 years of longing" in part because I feel like I really relate to the main character's solitary contentment and satisfying 'inner life'.

Tremors, Clue and 5th Element get honorable mentions. They're are never far from my player. I can watch them over and over... and have for years.

Edited to add that "everything everywhere all at once" absolutely belonged in this list, but I've only managed to see it once so far, and it slipped my mind.

 

[Lexxi]

Tremors & 5th Element are two films I occasionally rewatch.
I rather liked The Usual Suspects. Can't watch it now.

 

[Isabeau]

God, I can’t think right now, but I love your lists. Gives me ideas for things to watch eventually.

I see some of my favourites are already mentioned. I absolutely loved The Fall, Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, 3000 Years of Longing, and C.R.A.Z.Y (Michel Côté, the actor who played the more conformist father, died a few days ago. He’s beloved here…)

At the top of my head,

Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulin. I stil rewatch it from time to time and see things I missed.

Blade Runner, both old and new.

In the Mood For Love. The sets, colours, music…

It’s a wonderful World. I still cry.

Il Postino. Just beautiful and sweetly funny.

Raging Bull. So well made, and so intense.

Cinema Paradiso.

Alien, mostly the first as it was probably the first time I saw a movie where the hero/protagonist was a woman who wasn’t playing the sex bomb, but love the whole series.

Pride and Prejudice 2005



I’ll probably come back with more
I notice that many of the films I love share a certain palate of colours (faded?) and music that I adore.

 

[Noodles]

Scott Pilgrim vs the World - God I can't really stress how much I love this film, and the books its based on. Everything is so well designed visually. I donwish they had gone with two films to include more book content. It could have had a climax with the proper fight vs Clash at Demonhead as a climax, that happens halfway through at Book 3 anyway.

Everything Everywhere All At Once - I expected this movie to be good, and it completely beat my expextations.

Coraline - Another where I really like the visuals. Which is probably a trend in general for movies I really like.

The Princess Diaries - Its just fun and funny. Also I like Anne Hathaway in general as an actress. Devil Wears Prada is another good one from her but its not technically one if my "favorite movies.". Also Get Smart.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - I've watched these more times than I should probably admit.

Lost in Translation - Its just a nice cozy movie and a fun trip around Japan.

 

[Ellie]

CJ7 is amazing to watch with my grandkids, The Tiger and the Snow & The Intouchables are two of my all-time favorites.

 

[Free]

Everything Everywhere All At Once - I expected this movie to be good, and it completely beat my expextations.

 

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

Pride and Prejudice 2005

HERETIC! The only acceptable version is the 1995 miniseries version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, accept no Kiera Knightley substitute.
Admittedly, I like Bride & Prejudice.

Most of my favorite movies have already been mentioned!

Big Trouble in Little China: Lo Pan is like 10 feet tall with light coming out of his eyes! St. Louis had better put a statue of James Hong as Lo Pan sometime, he is from there.

While I like Rear Window, my favorite Hitchcock is North by Northwest.

The Last Starfighter: There's Trouble right here in the Galaxy, trouble with a capital T that doesn't rhyme with K that stands for Ko-Dan!

The first two Mummy films, but not the 3rd.

Little Big Man: My heart soars like a hawk.

Fargo: Oh Ja? Ja!

Aliens: Game over Man, game over!

Apocalypse Now

An American President: yes it's basically rom-com West Wing before the West Wing was a thing.

Adding the 3rd Die Hard, the one with Jeremy Irons hamming Simon Says up as Hans Gruber's brother.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Well, here are some of mine...

Full Metal Jacket by Stanley Kubrick (1987): the gunny always gives me so romantic vibes. Also since Kubrick hated to go on a plane, most of it was actually filmed in the UK. The jungle scenes/war scenes in the city of Vietnam was actually a run down district of London. What always amazed me when we still had the US Army around is how many soldiers considered it a war movie, not anti war.

A clockwork orange by Stanley Kubrick (1971): a modern society leads to boredom, boredom leads to violence, and violence was never better orchrestrated to classical music. Ever. A really thought provoking flick in its time, which disturbed big parts of its audience, and still does today so.

Z by Costa Gravas (1969), a very angry political thriller about Greek of that time, which was produced by France though and filmed in Algeria, because filming it in Greece at that time was too dangerous: Jean-Louis Tritignant, Yves Montand and Irene Pappas as actors. Music score by the legendary Mikis Theodorakis. The topic of that movie was a political murder in Greek of 1963 by its military junta. It was filmed like a documentary, and though the story was fiction, it was based on the real events. Many believe that this movie played an important role in the demise of the Greek dictatorship later, because it made those crimes public. Maybe the best political thriller ever, and one of the most influential films of all times. It also won the Oscar for "best foreign language film" in 1970.

Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire (1972), a French spy comedy by Yves Robert: a classic French comedy, which put Pierre Richard on his way to stardom. It was succesful enough that Hollywood made its own version of it in the 80s, which just sucks, named "The Man with One Red Shoe" in 1985 with Tom Hanks i
the main role.

Welt am Draht (1973) by Rainer Werner Fassbinder: basically the same story as later in the Matrix - what is reality, and how can we sure about that we don't just live in a computer? -, but done much, much earlier.

The breakfast club (1985) by the legendary John Hughes: a rightful classic, where Hughes showed that intelligent teen movies are possible. While filmed with quite low budget, the movie really explores the backgrounds of the cast, which are stereotypes on the surface, but in reality there's also much more to them. Also the main theme "Don't you forget about me" became a timeless classic as well.

The Breakfast Club (1985) HQ Trailer

They were five students with nothing in common, faced with spending a Saturday detention together in their high school library.Copyright Holder:Universal Cit...

www.youtube.com

Das Boot by Wolfgang Petersen (1981): this movie is the adaption of the novel "Das Boot" by Lothar-Günther Buchheim, who was part of a WWII German submarine crew as embedded journalist. It describes the everyday life on board of a Nazi submarine during WWII, the hunt, to be chased and the bitter end. It was the German movie with the biggest budget ever at its time. Buchheim didn't like the idea that American film makers adapt his novel, because he feared that they would make it too stereotypical, as well heroic and patriotic. So in the end it was produced by German public television. Petersen wanted to produce the best submarine film ever, and went great lengths to do so. At the end he succeeded, and this movie opened him the doors to Hollywood.

Actually it was first planned and also filmed as tv series, but television was reluctant to air it. So instead much of the material was cut to squeeze it into a movie for cinemas. Later it was recut and aired in 6 episode of 50 minutes each.

Das Boot (1981) REMASTERED TRAILER [HD]

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen. With Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann.Das Boot DVD : https://amzn.to/3SCm1oVDas Boot Blu-ray : https://amz...

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[Noodles]

Das Boot is pretty good if you have a nice sound system to watch it with. That and follow it up with Mad Max Fury Road.