which is your favourite: Film from the current top 50 on IMDB?

[Feels]

I may or may not be showing my shallowness here, but I don't like describing or categorizing films all that much, even in a very general way.

For example, I would say A Clockwork Orange "is about" the way you can't change how a person is and how they think. But really, I look for even more simplicity than that in film.

Another example. I once let myself get into an argument over the merits of Full Metal Jacket. The other guy was saying something like "It's essentially about how hard it is to perform a mercy killing, something that Aliens accomplished in a 2 minute scene." I was like, "What?". And I guess that's why I don't like looking for meaning in just about every movie I see, i.e. I don't want to presume to know what the director intends, as it can often negatively affect my judgement.

That could certainly just be me and my still developing appreciation for film (and I hope it keeps developing for a long, long while yet), but that's how I am at the moment.

Well the greatness of quality film is that it's up to you to decide what it means. In the case of Kubrick, he never explained away the meanings of his movies to interviewers, on any more than the most base narrative level. So it's up to the viewer to get out of the film whatever they see in it. But I do know what you mean, grand statements of "it's about ____" kind of dispell any existing ambiguity of a film, which is sometimes quite appealing in itself, just the grand mystery of it.

 

[cletus]

I personally think Goodfellas is the best movie ever, end of.

 

[L2R]

i went with a clockwork orange. almost went for the coppola greats and 12 angry men.

 

[smotpoker]

It was a tough decision between Forrest Gump and Taxi Driver, but in the end life is still just a box of chocolates.

I know most of the cool people on BL will say Pulp Fictions and Shawnshank Redemption are the best movies of 1994, but there is just something about the innoncence of Forrest Gump that I love. If you think about it, it's really 4 or 5 mini movies all in one.

It's a little bit about Vietnam, a little bit about Shrimpin', a little bit about the 1960's, and it's all neatly wrapped up in one man's incredible life.

I never get sick of watching Gump.

 

[XiolaBleu]

It was a tough decision between Forrest Gump and Taxi Driver, but in the end life is still just a box of chocolates.

I know most of the cool people on BL will say Pulp Fictions and Shawnshank Redemption are the best movies of 1994, but there is just something about the innoncence of Forrest Gump that I love. If you think about it, it's really 4 or 5 mini movies all in one.

It's a little bit about Vietnam, a little bit about Shrimpin', a little bit about the 1960's, and it's all neatly wrapped up in one man's incredible life.

I never get sick of watching Gump.

I hear ya. I hadn't watched Forrest Gump in years, then I somehow caught it on some movie channel and was blown away. I'm sure the fact that I was old enough to really understand it this go around didn't hurt either.

I'm surprised nobody has voted for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by the way.

Also, the talk about Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf had me look into it, and I'm pretty sure I need to have this film in my life, like yesterday.

 

[Shlumpeet]

12 Angry Men

 

[L O V E L I F E]

Slumdog Millionaire is a VERY VERY VERY rich man's Forrest Gump.

So if you enjoyed that touching-yet-I-Can't-Fucking-Believe-What-A-Travesty-It-Was-That-It-Was-Awarded-Best-Picture-Over-Shawshank-AND-Pulp-Fiction, PLEASE:

GO SEE SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE!

Thank Me Later,

LL

 

[theotherside]

shawshank redemption all the way.

 

[junctionalfunkie]

I just found out that Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is playing in a theater near me today, one screening only, in about 20 minutes! I think I'm off to see it (never seen it before).