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Audio Edition - October 25th 2005
Welcome to your special Tuesday installment of your favorite podcast… THE AUDIO EDITION!
Today is a special show as Doug and I run down the list of what to us are the 10 greatest films of all time. Now remember that all lists are totally subjective and these are just the greatest films of all time according to us… but man the conversation was a lot of fun. Make sure to give us your thoughts in the comments section!
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SHOW NOTES: ** This is important. The Audio Edition is meant to be conversational… and it’s your turn to be involved in that conversation. Use the comments section of The Audio Editions to post YOUR show notes. Thoughts you had about the topics… interesting links to things related to the topics. Share your thoughts and links with the rest of us to keep the conversation going. The “show notes” are now yours to write!**
fuck yeah on the inclusion of ‘robocop.’ not only did this movie explore the classic sci-fi concept of what humanity is, and how memory is connected to identity, but it pretty much defined my conception of graphic violence used to brutal and plot-relevant effect in my film-viewing youth.
and that’s not even mentioning its subversive aspects-the corporate control of city police, the corporate subcontracting of hitmen (like the “bitches leave” guy) to weed out competing business projects, the ethical implications of using murdered cop corpses for experimentation purposes…and i love all the fake tv shows and news programs interspersed throught the film, simultaneously acting as a commentary on the film’s and our own societies (a technique which paul verhoeven perfected in ’starship troopers’). as you can see doug, i, too, love ‘robocop.’
Guys,
It must have been horrendously hard to pick a ‘Top Ten’ from the films that are out there, but nice work on the choices, they are a fantastic selection of films (Glad to see Doug put Conan in there, a true classic film that still entertains, which is something of a rarity with most films).
from the mentioning of epics that Ben Hur wasnt included in that. The cinematography and sets alone was amazing, as far as the ‘Legacy’ epics go, and one of the few to fit into that genre I would have to agree would be The Lord of the Rings trilogy, when looking from modern day standards.
I also tend to agree with Robocop. An action flick which has so many different aspects within it, yet still maintains the constant pace it is written for. Its one of the few Action movies where the ‘bad guy’ isnt some huge man, or towering monster or machine. Clarence Bodeker (sure, the spelling MAY be out, I never claimed to be smart ;-) ) was just a plain mean villan. Nothing special, nothing fancy, he was just a guy who was willing to do anything to get the job done for the corporations…fantastic choice in villan.
Awesome list guys, and once again, another great, fun Audio Edition…
…from one of your international listeners, down under ;-)
Five things that sucked about Lord of the Rings.
1. It didn’t have Lo Pan in it.
That’s right. I’m talking about the perpetuator of ass kicking himself, Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China: one of the best movies ever made. Lo Pan, for those of you who are adept at depriving yourselves of things that rule, is an evil war lord cursed to roam the world in spirit form. Basically he runs around stomping people’s holes who piss him off (which happens to be everyone). Lo Pan doesn’t take shit from anyone; exactly the kind of character Lord of the Rings needed. If I directed the movie, I’d have casted Lo Pan as the lead, instead of that pussy Frodo. With Lo Pan in the movie, it would have been about 5 minutes long: first scene would have been Lo Pan ruining everyone’s shit, killing all the babies and then spiking midgets off the ground. Oh man.
2. Not enough lesbians. In fact, there weren’t any.
So I paid $7 to see a movie with really high acclaim and great reviews; surely it was reasonable to assume that a movie of such supposedly high caliber must have lesbians in it. Expecting a solid two hours of lesbian mud wrestling, I was rendered impotent by chunky midgets with hairy feet instead. What the hell? I’m not the only one who feels the lack of lesbians hurt the movie overall. In fact, I overheard a lady behind me whispering to her boyfriend “no lesbians? this is bullshit!” I want my 8 hours of my life back. Which leads me to my next point…
3. The movie was actually longer than the book (go figure).
In the time it took to watch this movie, I could have read the book, filed my tax return, proved the Riemann Zeta hypothesis and still had time to write a page about how boring the movie was. This is a picture of me during the movie that my friend took; this movie was so boring that I turned into a middle-aged black woman when I fell asleep. Damn. It seems like every time some long-ass boring movie comes out, everyone gives it rave reviews (except for that dog shit Water World, not that I’ve seen it asshole). If this movie was any longer, it might have even been a contender for the longest movie ever made: Brave Heart. I have the attention span of a Fox News reporter when it comes to watching movies, and I was bored to tears near the end, and at the beginning… and during the middle part.
4. The king of Fairies was accidentally miscast as the king of men.
King of men my ass. This chump change was pissing me off left and right during the movie. “I’m afraid of the temptation.. I’m afraid… boo hoo, I’m a sissy boy, don’t give me the ring, I might start wetting the bed again.” What a pussy. If there was an Ogre about to kick my ass, which is impossible to imagine because I’m so tough that I can rip a phone book in half with my eye lids, I wouldn’t let this nancy defend me. “Piss off Fairy King, I’d rather die.”
5. It didn’t have the Gandalf pimping scene in it.
Am I the only one who noticed that the entire Gandalf pimping scene was missing from the movie? I’m talking about the scene in which Gandalf happens across a magic crate full of enchanted pimp armor. The armor renders the wearer into a super-suave womanizing sex machine. After Gandalf discovers the magic garments, he journeys to the land of the golden shower on a pilgrimage of self-discovery to unleash the true power of his staff. During his quest, he’s accompanied by his friend from the east side, Cop Killa. Together they bring down the law and clean house on an illegal pimping monopoly which dominates the market of fine Hobbit bitches in Hobbitville.
My favorite moment in a motion picture is in the Lord of the rings trillogy as well. But mine is from the Two Towers. At the end, after Frodo tries to give the ring to the Nasgool(sp) and Sam tackles him, and he tries to kill him…. Sam stands him up, and gives this pep speech, as we watch the tide of the entire war temporarilly and suddenly turn in the human’s favor.
He talks about the great stories (as i tear up.) How It always seems dark and full of dread. And sometimes you dont want to know the ending. Because how could the world go back to what it was? After everything bad that happened?
But it’s just a passing thing.
Sorry for the long quote. I get teary eyed whenever i hear it.
i can’t speak for my top ten, but i will give a top five.
dont laugh…
1: Hudson Hawk (one of a kind)
2: The Ten Commandments (2nd Demile )
3: The Big Lebowski (long story . )
4: Revenge of the Sith (seriously.)
5: Jackie Brown (deadpan anyone?)
Here is my list of favorite movies (so far):
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. The Original Star Wars Trilogy (especially The Empire Strikes Back)
3. Lord of the Rings
4. Terminator 2
5. Das Boot
6. Aliens
7. Se7en
8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
9. The Right Stuff
10. Godfather Part 2
Honourable Mention:
Jurassic Park
Gladiator
Bladerunner
The Matrix (first one)
Jaws
The Road Warrior
JFK
Alien (I couldn’t really say the entire series because 3 and 4 was mediocore)
Saving Private Ryan
and yes I liked Titanic
The first Highlander movie rocks! You guys have a pretty good list - makes me want to see Robocop again. My top five in no particular order:
Aliens
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Jackie Brown
Three Kings
Strictly Ballroom
Is Dakota Fanning sexy or what?
A very interesting list. A few quick comments:
1. RoboCop.
There is some great satricial humor in the film, cannot argue about Kurtwood Smith being a bad ass villian, loved Nancy Allen, Peter Weller. Best scene for me was when Murphy regains his memory of his past life and revisits the old house. His flashbacks were shot the way character flashbacks should be shot- by a POV, but you feel that his humanity has been robbed. Added to the insult is the ‘real estate agent’ on the TV screens. (”Have you thought about it? What’s your answer”) Then RoboCop goes out, kicks more ass. Then gets his ass handed to him. Then fights his way back….by practicing shooting jars of baby food. Classic stuff. One of the thugs melting away from an acid eating toxic waste…he steps ut in front of the speeding car…SPLAT! Robo’s film editor, Frank J Uristose won an Oscar for his fine work. It wasn’t my first introduction to director Paul Verohoven, but it wasn’t until later that I found out he directed “Flesh + Blood” with Rutger Hauer.
2. Highlander.
First time I saw this, I wasn’t impressed with the film overall, although it did influence me to buy a trenchcoat. Macleoud actually had a raincoat, but it’s the thought that counts. It took me a few viewings to get into the film and appriciate it. I think it was the jumps back and forth in time -ten minutes in Scotland, two seconds in Manhattan. I liked the mythology of the film. Yet…it made money overseeas, and the film’s golden rule was broken, as there really should have been only one. Okay…I tried to like Highlander 2, but I only liked Roger Hall’s wonderful production design. The sequel otherwise stunk…and they keep fiddling with the damn thing. Highlander 3 was more of a sequel, I thought, but there wasn’t anything new to say. I think as far as sequels go for any series, if there’s nothing new to say, don’t do it. It’s time to move on- and killing off Connor in part 4 with a stupid contradicting storyline for the film series and the TV series is not what I mean by moving on.
BTW, Rameriez was born an Egyptian.
3. The Usual Suspects.
When I first saw the film, I loved it. The ending was NOT a surprise to me, because to me it made sense who Soze was. It was simply a case of process of elimation. Last man left has to be Soze. However, after replacing my lbx VHS copy with the SE DVD, I was shocked to find out that the majority of the film is Kint’s BS. I cannot accept that. If that was the intent, it backfired and was a different film (although one I enjoyed) but if it was all BS, then there should have been no witness to ID Soze. Best scene: the improved ‘accident’ where Redfoot (Peter Greene) flicks ash in Stephen Baldwin’s eye.
4. Conan The Barbarian.
All this glory talk of Conan? My heart may have went thumpty thump over Sandahl Bergman, but I really didn’t like this film until (shock here-prepare yourself) it was edited for television! Yes- I thought the film was hokey and boring. Liked the novelization.
But I can see the film’s appeal. Before Arnold said He’ll be back, his most famous line was:
“To crush your enemies, see dem driven before you, anddo hear da lamentation of da wemmen!”
Now, I am very, very, very pleased that “E.T.” was not on either list. It is the most overrated film of all time. When I saw this piece of dirt as a kid, I hated it with a passion. When Spielberg re-did a scene where instead of a gun, a character holds a flashlight, I wondered if he altered the scene which, as a kid, I reacted most negatively to. Nope. E.T. getting Elliot drunk was not even an issue. Here is a character which could appeal to a younger set, but he’s downing six packs. Ho Ho Ho.
But other than that film, and a mild feeling for “AI” I liked or loved any film Spielberg put his fingers on. Including last year’s “Terminal”. But why didn’t the shark movie sneak in on either of your lists?
Yes. The one with THE shark.
“Jaws”, for me, is my number one, simply because it never gets old in the characters or storytelling. The suspense is there, the adventure. The accidental but wise choice that less is more. I also have fond memories of this film -and Jaws 2- when it was on cable and I’d be over at my best friend’s house watching these films on cable. Whenever the shark nabbed someone, my friend Shawn would blurt out in a fan-like cheer “So long, sister!” or “Nice Knowin’ Ya!” . But Jaws was much more than entertainment.
“Blade Runner” is my second, probably, aside from ‘Star Wars’, the most influential SF film ever made. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, has even come close in terms of production design, appreciation of matte and model, and practital visual effects. The meddling of the film’s production also adds to the mystique of the picture. When the Raymond Chandler VO’s were removed for a ‘director’s cut’ and scenes re-edited or taken out it aadded to the picture.
Third for me? , “Lawrence Of Arabia” followed by number four, “Bridge On The River Kwai”. I wasn’t turned on to this by my parents; I discovered these films on my own. I do like the epic storytelling, but I also loved the ironic plotlines and characters they provided. While I’m fond of ‘Kwai’, I recall the days before DVD, and I asked for the widescreen restored version of ‘Lawrence’.on VHS for Christmas. My father taped the cropped version off HBO on a blank VHS and wrapped it up for Christmas. I humbled myself, and just saved up my own money and bought the thing myself. I taped over the bastard version. Later, I got the special edition deluxe DVD Lawrence. I got that myself too.
Five: “Ben-Hur”. You know all about this; again, epic, visual storytelling through characterization. Also an underrated biblical themed movie, and when it is said if remade today the film’s budget would be equal to 200 million, I believe it.
Six: “The Outlaw Josey Wales”. My favorite western, and I still love it more than “High Plains Drifter” or “Unforgiven”- and I loved those Clint Eastwood films. Chief Dan George is a standout in “Wales”.
Seven: “Repo Man” . A repo man’s life is always intense. Let’s go get sushi and not pay for it. In the end I blame society. “Drink”. Say you’re thinking about a plate of shrimp. Suddenly someone says plate, or shrimp, or plate of shrimp. Out of the blue. No explanation. No use looking for one either. It’s all part of the cosmic unconsciousness…
Eight: I realy don’t have an eight, because I have trouble thinking up which film of Micheal mann’s I love the most. It should go to ‘Manhunter’, but I loved ‘Thief’. “Last Of The Mohicans”…”Heat”. So…if I had to choose one, it would be ‘Manhunter’. Before Hopkins there was Brian Cox. Before CSI, Willam Petersen was in a lead role, and more effective than in William Friedkin’s ‘To Live and Die In LA”
Nine: Same here, because I love most of John Carpenter’s films. “Halloween” is a horror classic, but I’ve been partial to “The Fog”. Oh wait… I got it! “Escape From New York”. I love that film more than Fog or Halloween. Let me tell you, it isn’t easy.
Ten: Five Corners. The best screenplay ever written, (John Patrick Shanley) and directed by Tony Bill, stars Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins, Todd Graff and John Turturro. Eriq La Salle has a small role.
Sealer out.
Great picks guys. First podcast to actually make me misty-eyed!;-)
I would pick Shawshank at number one - it is the perfect movie.
I would also rate the LOTR trilogy ahead of the SW trilogy.
Ben-Hur,as mentioned in other posts has to be there.
Other picks I would include are the original Rocky and Titanic.
The Highlander pick surprised and delighted me the most. Clancy Brown rocked as the bad guy - his line, ‘Nuns, no sense of humour!’ cracks me up every time.
Great show guys - listening to the passion and reasoning behind your picks rocked!
Oh and I forgot to mention John Carpenter’s version of The Thing.
Mogulus!!! Really? “Revenge of the Sith” is on your Top 5? Man I could hug you right now!!!
Right, as of October 2005, this is my “work-in-progress Top 10″, I say that because although my Top 5 will be constant from now on, number 6 onwards will probably always change.
1. Star Wars (1977-George Lucas), Empire Strikes Back (1980-Irvin Kershner), Revenge of the Sith (2005-George Lucas)
2. The Godfather Saga - (1972, 1974, 1990) Francis Ford Copolla
3. Saving Private Ryan- (1998) Steven Spielberg
4. L.A. Confidential- (1997) Curtis Hanson
5. Casablanca (1942) Michael Curtiz
6. An Affair to Remember (1957) Leo McCarey
7. The Usual Suspects- (1995) Bryan Singer
8. The Untouchables (1987) Brian de Palma
9. Lord of the Rings trilogy- (2001-2003) Peter Jackson
10. Back to the Future (1985) Robert Zemeckis
Richard has really done something in that TOP FILMS list. *winks*
One more - Wizard of Oz. How could I forget? The only musical I enjoy.
Great show guys, as usual.
First a few comments about your lists.
Doug, kudos for adding Catch Me If You Can to your list.Although it’s not one of my top ten, I think it’s a very underrated film and so rewatchable. Some critics thought Spielberg was slacking because of the lightweight nature of the story, but I think time will be very kind to this movie.
John, glad to see you added some older films such as Spartacus and Lawrence of Arabia. Being a bit older than you, I remember seeing these films at revivals in the mid-60’s when theaters still did this.
Even at a young age, I knew these were going to be classics.
Oh, by the way, speaking of Peter O’Toole, if you have never seen The Stunt Man, do it! IMO, his performance as Eli Cross is the greatest acting performance I have ever seen. It’s also on my top ten film lists as you’ll note below.
Anyway, onto the list:
1.) Annie Hall(a very emotional viewing experience, similar to what I was going thru at the time)
2.) The Right Stuff(Great cast, stirring music, just a great epic based on a true story)
3.) Phantom of the Paradise(a Brian DePalma early film)
4.) The Stunt Man(As noted O’Toole and a wonderful psycological thriller)
5.) Back to the Future(I have the DVD and I still have to stop and watch it when it’s on TV)
6.) Cinema Paradiso and 7.) Hope and Glory(two films with child protaganists that are very episodic in nature, both heartwarming heartfelt)
8.) Young Frankenstein(Perfect cast, so damn funny)
9.)The Empire Strikes Back(Better character developement plus improved action scenes make this the best of the original trilogy)
10.)Singing In The Rain(A musical with an actual plot! Would work without the songs and dances, but thank god it’s there)
That’s it. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to add my list.
Star Wars is so overrated.
Redcon, like you I will never get tired of “Back to the Future”. ;-)
“Last night, Darth Vader came down from planet Vulcan and told me that if I didn’t take Lorraine out that he’d melt my brain.” *chuckles*
well despite my complaints, i still listened to this one. once again, i was so disappointed by it. John Campea you should check out movies.ksl.com, or npr.org for some pretty good stuff.
here’s my list for 10 greatest movies of all time (and of course it’s all subjective!) this could change completely for tomorrow.
1. Resident Evil
2. Long Kiss Goodnight
3. Breakdown
4. Haunting
5. Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000
6. Stealth
7. Getaway (’72)
8. Sleepy Hollow
9. Cruel Intentions
10. Inspector Gadget
Movies that almost made it on this prestigious list:
Kiss of the Dragon, Mortal KOmbat Annihilation, League of extraordinary gentlemen, Ninja Scroll, Can’t Hardly Wait
Hey Jack…
I’m going to assume you’re being sarcastic since your list comprises of what I’m sure many will agree are probably the worst films ever made.
My Visual Effects Company that I worked at actaully did some of the effects shots on League of Extraordinalry Gentlemen… and even I know it sucked eggs. Sean Conery hates it too.
However… if you’re being serious about your list… then all I can do id giggle at your negative feedback about my show.
As a side note… just don’t listen anymore. Why listen to a show that isn’t your taste? Move on. It doesn’t bother me at all. No show or website is for everyone… so… go visit AICN or something else you may like.
Ouch, John!
*winks*
hey john campea,
those aren’t the worse films ever made.
Actually, I was serious about that list. I enjoyed those movies much more than any of the classic movies like Star Wars, the LOTR trilogy, Blade Runner, Jaws, ET, Jurassic Park, Robocop, Close Encounter, Se7en, Godfather trilogy, Terminator 2, Saving Private Ryan, Aliens.
And, if you truly want to see ‘actual’ bad movies, just go to your local video store, and rent some DTV stuff.
I guess I have to defend my list a little. The movies on my list are very enjoyable for myself. They don’t bore me, have great visuals, and tell very clear and understandable storylines.
Well, i have to finish this another time. i’ll be back!
Speaking of bad sfx.. Some of the most fakest aren’t in League Of Extraordinary gentlemen at all. I have to say one of the most overrated fanboy movies is Norrington’s Blade, and Blade by far has some of the weakest fx i’ve ever seen. Watching that movie is painful just cuz the fx are so incredibly phoney and the pacing is so slow in many places. All the vampire ashings, all the animated blood, all the explosions, all the lightning bolts and animated skeletons and ALL of that stuff in the end, but ultimately practically all the fx in that movie were unconvincing. I wonder if Norrington ever thought the fx could fool anyone with them.
I’m surprised no one’s responded to my Blade comment. Doesn’t any agree with me that Blade has some terrible fx?