I started this post almost two years ago. I had just finished the multi-part STL #129, and the top 100 list that it resulted in.
My framing question is, does this belong on this list where it is, why or why not? The underlying question is, "What does it mean to have favorites?" in regard to art. The idea of loyalty/allegiance has come up already, and we'll see what to add to that
Let's go through the list, starting at the end.
100. Princess Bride: This is an utterly charming fairy tale marred by the execrable performance of Billy Crystal. It is metadiscursive, with the Falk/Savage framework, but still a ripping good adventure yarn. There are also kissing parts. This is one of a handful of movies I'll watch every time they come on, along with The Warriors and the much less good Hammett. If I were to replace it, and Rob Reiner is represented by Spinal Tap a bit further down so it might be warranted, I might either go with The Thin Man (charming, though differently so) or Raiders of the Lost Ark (as an adventure). But this is feeling pretty safe; there's no other film quite like it.
99. Ms. 45. Abel Ferrara needs to have a spot here, as a big, brawling, broken visionary. I'm sure his body of work has as many misses as hits, but this combines his gutter aestheticism with his Catholic mysticism. Bad Lieutenant does the same, but it's been so long since I've seen that I don't have as much confidence in it.
98. Aguirre, Wrath of God: As I said, it wouldn't feel right if I didn't have Herzog on here. This carries his philosophical stamp but still maintains a life of its own. Unlike Reiner but like Ferrara, he has a distinct vision so I don't think it would be fair to include more than one.
97. Snake Eyes: The story is nothing great, but who cares about that when you have a typically deranged Nic Cage performance and DePalma's camera zooming all around. I will address the DePalma issue later; I haven't counted the number but I'm clearly violating the Ferrera/Herzog principle I just stated. So maybe not a secure slot.
96. Clueless. Working theory: Amy Henkerling directed both the great teen movie of the 80s (Fast Times) and the great post-teen movie of the 90s (this). "Post-teen" hear doesn't mean college as opposed to high school, but an awareness of the previously established tropes. Other movies in this category might include Mean Girls, Lady Bird, Easy A, Book Smart, and Election. But this feels superior to all those, so is secure on the list.
95. Bride of Frankenstein. While I've been more of an auterist in my approach so far, this is all about the performance by Elsa Lanchester as Mary Shelley and the Bride. People like to talk about how this is a sequel that surpasses the original, which I agree with.
94. Yes, Madam! Not to be confused with "Yes Madam" (1995) or "Yes Madam" (2003), this film would, in literal translation, be known as "Royal Elder Sister." While I confuse some Hong Kong actioners in my head, this has Cynthia Rothrock and that really tall white guy who can't act, plus the best fall I can think of. The ending is crazy and not in a good way; highly flawed, but that's ok with me.
93. 2001: A Space Odyssey. There are two other Kubriks I can think of coming up, but this is such an epic achievement I have have trouble letting it go. The music and editing, the disjunction between the opening and the main story, the Star Child. The movie is virtually flawless, which might be a problem.
92. WALL-E. Both this and Up stand out for distinct set pieces: the silent movie opening and the life story segment in the latter. As I think about it, I prefer Up so I could swap them. But I don't really like the trend in animation Pixar exemplifies, so I'm a little torn.
91. House of the Devil. There's a movie-ness to this horror gem, and an adorable final girl performance by Jocelin Donahue. Maybe not the best movie apart from its movieness, but safe on this list.
In my earlier draft, I commented that I had recently seen Beau Travail, "which is better than any of these movies and I like it more." That raises the question of what other movies I could add, but I'll table that for now. It's going to be hard to find openings for new movies, given this start. In this short start, I see themes of allegiance, uniqueness, the sheen of perfection as a detriment, and a certain aesthetic craziness as a plus.
90. Hud. Again, it's a performance that stands out--Patricia Neal as Alma. Yet another I'd like to watch again to see how I feel about it currently. 89. The Shining. Probably fallen in my estimation over the years, as I've rewatched it and watched more horror films. It should stay at least for the Room 237 reasons. 88. Team America: World Police. "Gary, you can't blame yourself for something that bears did." The pinnacle of irreverence? I also love Borat, but they can't both be on here. 87. Rosemary's Baby: Lean forward to see around the door. Rewatched recently--it holds up. 86. Strangers on a Train: The glasses of Patricia Hitchcock are what this is all about. One of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock's but could be replace. 85. Phantasm. Pure independent inspiration. Essential. 84. Glengarry Glen Ross: Are we speaking? Or talking? Not the greatest movie qua movie though. 83. Down By Law. Beautiful opening pan. "It is a sad and beautiful night." 82. Amour. Maybe the scariest movie Isabel Adjani has been in, as her mother washes herself down the drain. Much scarier than the tentacle porn of Possession, apparently undergoing a resurgence. 81. This Is Spinal Tap: We're not saying she has to smell the glove. But she should at least sniff it. And this should stay. Weirdly this seems like a weaker set of films than 91-100. I might scratch Hud, Glengarry, Strangers, and DBL. I've also watched Possession two more times since my snide remark regarding Amour, and feel bad about what I said. Another theme I've seen regarding favorites is performance, even though I tend to belittle it. I've alluded to seven performances in an evaluative way: 5 women (all approvingly) and 2 men (not so much).
80. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is my favorite Sam Peckinpah movie. It's also probably the best title of any movie ever. I haven't seen it for years, but feel a sense of connection with Warren Oates. 79. Starship Troopers. Seems low for one of the best satires of all time. Could shoot up at least 20 places. 78. Night of the Living Dead. Well, then, this could shoot up 30 places 77. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. I originally wrote "Kind of a general placeholder for the Shaw Brothers production style" but watched it again since. This is a lock. 76. Taxi Driver. There's a lot of NY grit out there, and a lot on this list? If I could keep either this or Ms. 45 superfluous, which would it be? 75. Children of Men. All this exercise is doing is to make me want to see these movies again, to see if they're as great as I remember. The set piece we all remember (wait, there are two of them) is (are) what stand out in my memory. 74. Chinatown. Case in point, I saw this again in the last six months. If I hadn't, I might have set it aside. 73. Barry Lyndon. I'm slightly annoyed with myself with this choice, which strikes me as precious and self-congratulatory. But it's certainly a great movie. 72. Wicker Man. One of the touchstones of filmed folk horror, and my personal entree into the genre. I watch it most Octobers, and this placement is a little high. 71. A Woman Under the Influence. In exploring my poetic aesthetic, I've said that I value "complicated surfaces, luminous detail, competing systems, slight shifts, sonic design, and reserved mystery." This is a complicated surface and there are sure to be luminous detail in the performances of Falk and Rowlands. "Reserved mystery" means it resists the intelligence almost successfully. The proxy for sonic design would be something like visual beauty, which you might not find here. The application of "competing systems" is a bit trickier, but it might have to do with the dialogue with movie-ness I mentioned above (an interesting concept in relations to Cassavettes.)
Written previously: "I've just recently seen a A Matter of Life and Death (aka Stairway to Heaven), and like Beau Travail it seems a candidate for this list. They both seem, at the moment, more deserving of Alfredo Garcia, Children of Men, and Barry Lyndon." The first two movies mentioned are certainly great, but I feel like I've come around on the others as well. Currently, it's Wicker Man and Taxi Driver (of all films) that feel over-rated. An aspect of any list like this is posturing: some in the movies I would leave out even though I like and remember them, and some in the ones I include, even though I barely recall them.
70. Blow Out. Kind of a nexus of art films of the 60s, paranoia films of the 7os, and uniquely 80s sleaze. While Snake Eyes, mentioned above, is a sentimental favorite, this is better while also formative. In a face-off, Nic would go and John would stay.
69. Yojimbo. Now, and forever the epitome of cool.
68. Night of the Hunter. See above. While I haven't watched it in years (a recurring theme), nothing quite looks like it in my memory.
67. The Conversation. Similar to Blow Out, but I don't feel as attached. A candidate for deletion.
66. It Follows. Early in my eventual embrace of horror. A unique world.
65. Heathers. Sharp satire, but see under Clueless.
64. Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff. Strong performances, but also remarkable visual flair considering it's essentially four people in a room.
63. King Kong. I often bring this up as the pinnacle of special effects. I mean, why would it need to be 'more realistic' than this?
62. Heat. I like it a lot, but is it that good?
61. Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41. Now and forever.
60.Love Witch* I don't remember what the star means. If it was for deletion, I reject it now. A vivid aesthetic. The director might see it differently than I do, which I like.
The Conversation, Heathers, and possibly Heat could be in trouble 59. Fast Times and Ridgemont High: Not high art, but encapsulates an era. Stellar performance by young Jennifer Jason Leigh. 58. 8 ½ It's cute but unintentional that this comes in at an eighth spot. Needs a rewatch to by sure. This or another Fellini? 57 Goodbye Dragon Inn. As a posture, I like that I like this, and the next movie. 56. Enter the Dragon* More cute positioning. My operating theory is that martial arts cinema is really about the body in extremis, for whatever good that does. 55. American Movie Ok, so there's a "personal pantheon" effect of movies that at one point in my life evoked something special for me. For American Movie, which I'm thinking I've written about before, 54. Audition This is another "pp" in that it was the scariest movie I'd ever seen. 53. Warriors. The fact it wasn't ruined by Lin Manuel Miranda's execrable concept album is testimony to this. 52. Meet Me in St. Louis. The greatest musical of the classic period, at least that I can recall. 51. Singing in the Rain. It was great when I saw it, everyone says it's great, the way it's described makes me think I'd still think it's great, but I really need to see this again. Really, I have no recourse but to remove it and start a subsidiary list of movies needing a more recent viewing:
- Singing in the Rain
- 8 ½
- It Follows
- Night of the Hunter
- Children of Men
- A Woman Under the Influence
- Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
