tectactoe: FILM: tectac's Top 100 Favorite Films of All Time

tectactoe 07.25.19	Let me have it, plebs.
Skoop 07.25.19	inb4 556 comments
tectactoe 07.25.19	We’ll see. Might keep this alive and updated every quarter.
Skoop 07.25.19	My letterboxd gonna be busy with all these. Any you would recommend seeing first and foremost?
tectactoe 07.25.19	Well my personal opinion would be as ordered lol. But if you give me some of your current favorites (films or directors or styles/genres) and/or dislikes, i can give you a more informed recommendation based on what I think you might like!
tectactoe 07.25.19	(Or alternatively just post your LB account)
GhandhiLion 07.25.19	Nice, you just reminded me to re-watch woman in the dunes. Also what do you see in Birth of a Nation to put it at 26.....
Skoop 07.25.19	I think I'm referring to some of the older more obscure titles which I'm not as familiar. Majority of the newer films I've seen with probably 19 and 31 being particular favorites.
Clumseee 07.25.19	Eyes Wide Shut is also my favourite Kubrick :P
budgie 07.25.19	50 films and not a single good one haven't u even HEARD of Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong or Thankskilling? scrub
Pheromone 07.25.19	Is this now to go too film thread on Sput? You're confusing me now tect. Great list though, a few of these would find there way onto mine for sure, I'll be sure to check some of the ones I haven't already. Interesting choice for favourite Hitchcock tho
tectactoe 07.25.19	@Ghandi: I don’t endorse the politics of the film at all, obviously, but I am in awe of not only it’s cinematic achievements (which were unheard of at the time of its release) as well as its influence into the real world, which is assuredly a negative influence, but the fact that a single film was capable of so much makes it one of the most frightening films of all time to me. I will be willing to go into more detail too, if you’re interested! @Skoop: good choices! @Clumsee: thataway. Definitely his most misunderstood film, though it seems recently people are coming around to it. @Phero: either is fine :) Which favorites do we share? And yeah Hitchcock has so many great films, but my favorite are often the most unsung ones: Notorious, The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, Foreign Correspondent, etc. (However I still love the “classics” e.g. Psycho, Vertigo, and all that. Dude was a master.) I wrote a big summary on why Notorious was one of the greatest films ever, I’ll have to dig it up and post it.
Gyromania 07.25.19	modern films are all inferior mirite
tectactoe 07.25.19	thonk.jpg
GhandhiLion 07.25.19	@Tectactoe Yes, go on. I'm interested in any discussion on judging this film. It seems that you place more value on its external influence. It did prove that films could have a frightening effect on reality - is that a positive? I don't see how its innovations (often overstated imo) could cancel out the abhorrent themes, let alone make it a best of all time.
GhandhiLion 07.25.19	Sorry, I just cant take Birth of a Nation seriously as a choice. Most people who say it is amongst their favourites have probably only watched it once. No one who speaks well of it talks about anything other than its influence. Calling it an enjoyable film would be immoral.
Gyromania 07.26.19	history is made at night is so damn boring tbh. those super old grainy black and white films need to be super artsy to be interesting (for me). when there isn't any especially great cinematography i feel like i'd just rather read it as a book than watch it with the poor mixing and awkward acting and mediocre effects. i feel that way about a lot of the super early films you have here. i do enjoy some older films though, like metropolis, dr caligari's cabinet, nosferatu, and especially the cameraman. find a lot of the films you listed to be really drab though.
tectactoe 07.26.19	@Ghandhi, that’s a valid stance. I’m probably not going to convince you otherwise; so I’ll just say that I’ve seen it a lot more than once, and it’s not that I think the cinematic influence trumps its abhorrent agency, I simply don’t think abhorrent agency disqualifies a film from being enjoyable or “good,” as long as you can separate thematicism from your own ideals. Anyway here’s the last write up I did for it, I know it won’t persuade you (and I’m not trying to), but hopefully it can get you to understand what I see in it: https://letterboxd.com/tectactoe/film/the-birth-of-a-nation/2/
GhandhiLion 07.26.19	Thanks for the link, i'll have a read.
Middle18 07.26.19	Are you a hipster by any chance?
Sinternet 07.26.19	Do you like actually have fun at all
fogza 07.26.19	I haven't seen 90% of these. But I don't really feel Hitchcock, Kubrick or Gallo, and Mulholland is one of my least fave Lynch movies, same with the Master for PT. So I think we'd disagree lol.
tectactoe 07.26.19	@Middle & Sinternet: Is it the exclusion of Marvel capstones and cosmic-budget blockbusters that makes me a fun-hating hipster? Keep in mind we are talking about movies - a segment of art, just like music - and prodding someone for their "offbeat" choices in film (which, to be completely fair, none of my chosen films are that wild or obscure or abstract, honestly) would parallel with someone asking why you don't have any Top 40 radio chart toppers among your list of favorite songs. Ya dig. @fogza: Shocked to hear that, I thought Mulholland Drive was pretty much the agreed upon Lynch favorite. For me, that and Eraserhead are his two masterpieces (behind the one-minute short "Premonitions," but I excluded that for obvious reasons), though I general like most of his other films. (Excepting Inland Empire; hate that movie.) What's your favorite Lynch, then? Also I know most people aren't Gallo fans, but it's unusual to hear someone dislike both Hitchcock and Kubrick, too. (Unless you're just talking about my specific film choices of theirs.) You've got me intrigued now...what are some of your favorite films / directors? (Not being an ass -- I'm genuinely curious!)
fogza 07.26.19	It's gotta be Blue Velvet for me, although outside of film, Twin Peaks second season is probably my favourite. I don't really have as deep a knowledge of film as you, based on your list, and if I had to pick directors that I've liked a reasonable proportion of their work, they'd be less obscure - Michael Mann and David Cronenberg would spring to mind (really only Blackhat and Cosmopolis register as outright fails from them). I think over the last 5 years I've lost the taste for serious cinema, which is down to me and how TV has developed too. I do like Werner Herzog's documentary work. Kubrick is problematic for me in the same way that someone like Michael Haneke is - most directors are too sentimental, but they go too far the other way, like there's something incredibly cold and unfeeling about their films, they portray a very one sided view of life. I almost feel like they don't understand an element of humanity, which is why the acting and themes are the way they are. To be fair, Strangelove is a great black comedy.
Rik VII 07.26.19	Nice ones fogza, Cronenberg is one of my favorites and Mann is one of those "was once one of my favorites and doesn't interest me as much anymore" directors, although Heat is still my favorite American thriller film. I also agree with your sentiment on Kubrick (although I like 2001 a lot). Lynch is my second favorite director ever (and also second favorite artist ever). Inland Empire is my favorite Lynch film and one of my favorite films ever. No shame. I see why people don't like it though. It's probably for the same reasons that make me love it as much as I do. Regarding the list itself, haven't seen that much of it. Most of the ones I've seen are great, some I don't like as much (like 35, I wished von Trier was half as good a director as Björk is an actress and she's not even as good an actress as she is a musician).
J() Alexander 07.26.19	Woman in the Dunes is so good.
fogza 07.26.19	I've only seen The Idiots from Lars, to be fair it was very good. Dunno why I never watched more of them. Who is your director no 1 Rik?
Rik VII 07.26.19	Park Chan-wook, who is most well known for Oldboy (2003). Every film he did is special, daring and immaculately filmed Haven't seen much of von Trier myself, so I'm mostly judging him by his work in that film, but I can't stand the camera work/editing,etc. in Dancer in the Dark at all.
ReefaJones 07.26.19	There are some good films in this list but it's a filthy hipster list
fogza 07.26.19	Yeah only recently been checking out South Korean stuff, but mostly TV shows, like Stranger, which seemed really bad at first, but for some reason I kept watching it and it and it ended up being incredibly moving. I still can't explain it. Did Park produce Snowpiercer? I really liked that.
Rik VII 07.26.19	I have never watched a South Korean television series due to their reputation, but I'm a big fan of 00s South Korean cinema. Park did produce Snowpiercer, but I doubt he had much to say when it came to creative choices. That one was mostly Bong Joon-ho's baby, the guy who did Memories of Murder etc. Great director as well (my second favorite from SK), I definitely recommend diving into his filmography. Not that big a fan of Snowpiercer myself, but it's good I guess
tectactoe 07.26.19	@fogza; That's fair. Kubrick definitely had a specific sterility to him that can easy be off-putting to many people. Funny you mention Haneke, who I (mostly) can't stand outside of a few, select films. Not to much of a Cronenberg fan myself, honestly; his brand of grotesquerie just doesn't excite me all that much, but I understand the appeal. However, DEAD RINGERS is very nearly a masterpiece, and definitely my favorite work of his. Also re Von Trier: Typically not a fan of his, though DANCER IN THE DARK and BREAKING THE WAVES are both amazing. It's his obsession with being labelled a provocateur that I mostly find annoying, but I think he achieved something special with each of those films: They're the only ones that provoke legitimate emotion beyond superficial shock value (imo). P.S.- Just because you don't know some of the films listed doesn't make it a hipster list. Maybe your film game is simply weak?
Rik VII 07.26.19	Great that you mention Dead Ringers, that's another one of my all-time favorites. I agree that it's Cronenberg's best film. He has a lot of unsung masterpieces though (like Spider or Dead Zone).
fogza 07.26.19	I find Cronenberg's fascination with augmentation and mutation really interesting. Videodrome really stuck with me.
tectactoe 07.26.19	I always love his ideas, something about his execution has simply never connected with me. (Though I'm always willing to give whatever he makes a shot, anyway.) Feel similar about John Carpenter.
Winesburgohio 07.27.19	interesting Ming-Liang pick, i find it kind of middling among masterpieces? also lmao a friend just showed me Irma Vep last night; i love that weird happenstance where you've never heard of something and then it keeps obtruding into your life. great film that. recs that u may not have seen: Szerelem, The Last Picture Show, House of Pleasures, In the Realm of the Senses, Kurosawa's "The Idiot" (where's the kurosawa and ozu dude?), Noisy Requiem (great list though i of course reign supreme as a genius appraiser of film, music, hentai and carpentry)
Winesburgohio 07.27.19	and for some reason i thought you'd be a Pasolini fan hmm
Yotimi 07.27.19	Surprised no tarkovsky or Bergman based on the others here
Yotimi 07.27.19	And as the most learned cinephile here, I gotta say you're missing koyaanisqatsi and tati's playtime
tectactoe 07.27.19	@Wines: Tsai is probably my favorite living filmmaker, so I could throw almost any of his features in my all time favorites (esp. WHAT TIME IS IT THERE, THE HOLE, FACE, or STRAY DOGS, but honestly I love them all). I think THE RIVER is the greatest summation of his work as a whole, and encompasses his slightly off-kilter approach to "slow cinema" so succinctly that I can't help but love it. That's another film I have a longer write-up on, if you're interested: https://letterboxd.com/tectactoe/film/the-river-1997/ I've seen THE LAST PICTURES SHOW and IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES. Like both, don't particularly love either, though it's been a long time since I've seen them. I actually have NOISY REQUIEM downloaded on my computer but haven't been able to set aside the time to watch it (one of those films I really want to be "available" and in the mood for, when I decide to watch it). Haven't seen the others, will add 'em to the watch list. Not a huge Pasolini fan, though again, it's been such a long time since I've seen most of his films that I surely owe them all revisits. But I distinctly remember not liking SALO, ACCATTONE, and OEDIPUS REX quite strongly. I thought PIGSTY was decent and THEOREM was okay. As for Kurosawa and Ozu: Great, great filmmakers, and though I do find Ozu's approach mostly mesmerizing, I'd be lying to myself if I said I've ever enjoyed one of his films at any kind of rich, emotional (or even intellectual level). Not saying he doesn't have depth in his films, but something about his style is more transfixing than truly alluring (if that makes sense) and I always finish his films more impressed than moved. I'd actually take Naruse over Ozu (is that a hot take?) and there's a Naruse film sitting just outside of my Top 50 at probably like 52 or 53 (FLOATING CLOUDS). Kurosawa is amazing and several of his films are just outside my Top 50 also, and a revisit of any of them could easy bump them to All Time status. My favorite is HIGH AND LOW, though RAN, SEVEN SAMURAI, and THRONE OF BLOOD are also contenders.
tectactoe 07.27.19	@Yotimi: I love half of Tarkovsky's filmography, don't love the other half. My favorite is MIRROR by a large margin, and that probably sits somewhere around place #60 all time (I have a larger list of My top 250, I'll have to check it on Monday, it's on my work computer). I also love ANDREI RUBLEV, SOLARIS, and IVAN'S CHILDHOOD, though none of them are near the Top 50. I'd have put STALKER up there at one point, but a recent revisit kind of dulled me on it a little. Still a great achievement, but I've definitely fallen a little out of love with it. I can't stand THE SACRIFICE or NOSTALGIA. Feels like he started dipping into self-parody at that point in his career, sadly. Bergman, I must admit, is one of my least favorite filmmakers. I respect the dude's contribution to cinema and understand his iconic status as an all time Great, but films are not at all for me. My biggest cinematic pet peeve is leaden dialogue and heavy bits of wordy philosophizing, which makes up about 90% of Bergman's catalog. If not for his excellent photography, I'd never have made it through most of his films quite honestly. I do enjoy a few: PERSONA, THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT, and AUTUMN SONATA are the few that I can not only stomach but actively enjoy to some degree. But a majority of his work bores me to death; I feel he constantly sweeps the legs out from under his imagery by having his characters sermonize their pains and frustrations aloud. I do love Tati's PLAYTIME, though. I think I prefer JOUR DE FETE. (Haven't seen his six features since I bought the Criterion box set the weekend they were released. Have been meaning to watch them again sometimes soon.)
ramon. 07.29.19	Dream Work is a good ass time. Probably my second favourite Tscherkassky behind Instructions. Big fan of Russian wank ala Bergman and Dreyer. Maybe finding the dialogue's incessant diatribes and arbitration entertaining in a comedic and atmospheric sense is a fault with my perspective more so than anything but I like how it almost becomes a poetic backdrop for typically quite blunt narratives. Almost feels like the dialogue in films like The Virgin Spring become akin to focus pulling or foley or a convention more ephemeral than the killer quotes and one liners present in most film. I could be talking out of my ass though, which if the case, I will promptly treat as an ode to the mighty Bergman >:D You a fan of any Chris Marker films? La Jetee and Sans Soleil scratch my nuts proper good-like yea
Winesburgohio 07.29.19	@ramon: honestly thank you for putting into words why i like Gertrud so much against my every instinct of what "good" "movies" "are" - i hate that portentous on-the-nose dialogue shit when Bresson does it but maybe just a Scandi backdrop gives them their due weight? also have u seen szere @tec yea Seven Samurai is top5 for me and absolutely perfect, on repeated viewings as well as the first "oh my god this is what movies can be" realisation on my inaugural watch at 12. interesting about Ozu in that i kind of agree but then nothing packs such an extraordinary emotional wallop as Late Spring, and there's a lot of complex (and sometimes transgressive) deconstruction of the Japan of the time going on as well idk gr8 analysis of The River too!!!!
ramon. 07.29.19	ask me one more time you slimy serpent see what happens i unabashedly adore ozu and will throw a 50mm at anyone who dares put shame on the name
Winesburgohio 07.29.19	you have the support of me and my beautiful wife, Setsuko Hara, suspended in 1950s iteration as a rather snuggly body-pillow,
ramon. 07.29.19	Quite a tasteless debasing of The Eternal Virgin (!) (TM) to presume she would have her way with someone who 4.5'd a Lana Del Ray record! Also, is there an argument to be made her best role was in fact Satoshi Kon's rendition in Millennium Actress? No? Huh.
tectactoe 07.29.19	Haha, thanks Wines. @ramon, yes there was a time LA JETEE was in my Top 50. (Not that i’ve fallen out of love with it, just other films have jumped it over time.) One of the most inventive shorts of all time, mesmerizing how it manages to feel so fluid given that it’s comprised of still shots. And that one single frame that has motion completely takes my breath away every single time.
Winesburgohio 07.29.19	"no"
EyesWideShut 07.29.19	Whew Buffalo 66 is my all time fav flick broski.. ill go so far to say the best american debut of the 90's
tectactoe 07.29.19	Can't argue that. Only others that would be even remotely close for me are BOTTLE ROCKET, REBELS OF THE NEON GOD, or THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, but I'd easily take BUFFALO '66 over those. Gallo had a chance to be one of the greatest indie film directors of our era.
Zig 07.29.19	La Belle Noiseuse is my all-time favorite film. Glad to see Satantango and The Last Laugh here.
tectactoe 07.29.19	Nice choice. Rivette is one of the few who does "long" films well. (There's nothing worse than a long film that blows.) The way he films LA BELLE NOISEUSE is incredible; even when he's capturing the paintings being done, he's constantly re-positioning and re-framing the camera to force a different perspective between the artist and the muse. (Plus the whole film is a masterclass in sound design, from the scratching pens on the pages to the loud echoes of shoes against rocky architecture.)
tectactoe 07.29.19	(Also THE LAST LAUGH is the pinnacle of Silent Cinema: A single inter-title that's essentially a callous middle-finger to studio executives, followed by the most sarcastic coda of all time. Murnau was a genius.)
Zig 07.30.19	Seriously, that sound design got me so bad. Just overwhelming. Rivette is a master. Yeah, for me, the best silent film along with Man With Movie Camera.
tectactoe 07.31.19	MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA is easily one of the most important films of all time, and probably sits somewhere just outside this Top 50. Though I haven't seen it in a looooong time, and I could easily be underestimating it in my memory. I'll need to try and get around to revisiting it soon.
tectactoe 08.07.19	Other favorite silent films, aside from the ones in my list: * SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS (Murnau) * LA JETEE (Marker) * SHERLOCK, JR. (Keaton) * MOTHLIGHT (Brakhage) * BY THE LAW (Kuleshov) * THE HEART OF THE WORLD (Maddin) * THE SCARECROW (Keaton) * THE EXQUISITE CORPUS (Tscherkassky) * THE CROWD (Vidor) * COPS! (Keaton) * MODERN TIMES (Chaplin) * THE KID (Chaplin) * NEIGHBORS (Keaton) * INSTRUCTIONS FOR A LIGHT AND SOUND MACHINE (Tscherkassky) * ONE WEEK (Keaton) * MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON (Deren) * ELEPHANT (Clarke...not technically silent, may as well be.) * THE GOAT (Keaton) * THE WIND (Sjostrom) * GREED (Stroheim) * THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (Wiene) * THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK (Sternberg) * STRIKE! (Eisenstein) * SAFETY LAST! (Newmeyer, Taylor) * METROPOLIS (Lang) * BATTLING BUTLER (Keaton) * THE NAVIGATOR (Keaton) * BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (Eistenstein) * UNDERWORLD (Sternberg) * STREET ANGEL (Borzage) * THE PILGRIM (Chaplin) * A WOMAN OF PARIS (Chaplin) * SPITE MARRIAGE (Keaton) * BLACKMAIL (Hitchcock) * THE LODGER (Hitchcock) * A PROPOS DE NICE (Vigo)
Yotimi 08.11.19	Passion of Joan of arc??
tectactoe 08.12.19	Perhaps this is my hottest Silent Era take: I think PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC is very, very good. But I do think it's slightly overrated. Or, perhaps a better way to say it: I find it eminently respectable but not massively enjoyable. As far as Dreyer films go, I think I prefer VAMPYR. (I know it's not technically a Silent film but it may as well be.)
Zig 08.12.19	Saw some from your Silent film list. Nosferatu still is one of my fav.
tectactoe 10.01.19	Not gonna crack this list, but revisited Rohmer's CLAIRE'S KNEE last night and it's every bit as lovely as I remembered it, maybe even more so. Rohmer is probably one of the only directors with a clearly literary approach that I can tolerate; but unlike e.g. Bergman (to cite another well-known, dialogue-heavy, introspective/philosophical director), Rohmer has a warmth and compassion to his films that tap into my emotion subconscious in a way that Bergman's icy, god-fearing cynicism and rigid austerity just doesn't.
tectactoe 10.10.19	Added: THE SHOOTING (Monte Hellman, 1966) at #5. Yes, it is truly one of the finest films I've ever seen. Dropped out: EXOTICA (Egoyan, 1994)
tectactoe 01.14.20	Added: THE COOK THE THIEF HIS WIFE & HER LOVER (Peter Greenaway, 1989) #28. Dropped out: A WOMAN IS A WOMAN (Godard, 1961)
Yotimi 05.13.20	Finally watched woman in the dunes last night. Amazing movie. Best I've seen in a long time.
tectactoe 05.13.20	Good man. Still one of the greatest pieces of art ever created imo. But thanks for bumping this - reminded me that my biannual update is due in a month. Shouldn't be too many major changes, and only one addition that comes to mind. Perhaps I'll expand this out to 100 films, though, like I did on RYM.
Egarran 05.13.20	Ooh Greenaway. Considering Brian Dennehy just died, you should honor him by watching Belly of an Architect. My favorite will always be Drowning By Numbers.
tectactoe 07.06.20	Biannual update commenced and complete. Updated from 50 to 100 entries. A few new additions and a couple place changes. Write-ups for each can be found here: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/tectactoe/top-100-favorite-films-of-all-time-july-2020/
Clumseee 07.06.20	wow no dark knight do you even know art
tectactoe 07.06.20	cries The closest Nolan ever came to crafting a masterpiece was MEMENTO. It was all downhill after that. (I don't hate him by any means, I just think he's massively overrated.)
neekafat 07.06.20	28, really?
tectactoe 07.06.20	Controversial pick, I guess, which seems more controversial now than ever (though it has been in my favorites for a very long time now), but I attempt to make my best case for it here: https://rateyourmusic.com/film_collection/tectactoe/filmreview260114 Not trying to convince anyone that its acquired contempt isn't warranted or that it's not a racist film (it definitely is), but just trying to approach the criticism at an angle that also includes my fascination with its place in our history, good or bad. In other words, something can be both incredible and amoral. This is the former, partially because of how bare-faced it embraces the latter.
porcupinetheater 07.06.20	List is in some serious need of Czech New Wave
Egarran 07.06.20	I don't know, I could read you shit on Nolan all day
tectactoe 07.06.20	I am expecting TENET to be hot garbage but we shall see. He's too wrapped up in the "spectacle" now, which he proved with DUNKIRK to a nauseating degree. I thought INTERSTELLAR was a solid step up from the very-average INCEPTION, though, so who knows what this new one'll bring. Not too big on the few Czech New Wave films I've seen. Hate DAISIES, relatively unmoved by the likes of VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS, SOMETHING DIFFERENT, LARKS ON A STRING. I am fond of LOVES OF A BLONDE, but not enough for an all time favorites spot.
neekafat 07.07.20	I understand to an extent, it was a huge point of reference in film history and a great example of how powerful the medium of film is... but like in the worst way possible
porcupinetheater 07.07.20	@tec Okay, I hear you. Love Daisies and to a lesser extent Valerie, but can see the argument that they're purely aesthetics (although disagree in Daisies' case). Loves of a Blonde is fun (ditto for Fireman's Ball), but Forman got better in Hollywood. If you haven't seen Marketa Lazarova, The Cremator, or Diamonds of the Night, though, holy shit jump all over 'em. Some of the most breathtaking and deranged subjective filmmaking from anywhere in any period. And Closely Watched Trains is brilliant in a much more socially realist sort of way kind of similar to the slice of life satirical comedy Forman was doing then, as well, but with a stronger emotional core.
Egarran 07.07.20	I have absolutely no urge to see Dunkirk. People's praise about it are always somewhat hesitant, like they didn't actually like it that much, but they can't say that and remain distinguished members of society.
Pheromone 07.07.20	Watched Yi Yi again (returning to a conversation on a past list) - honestly as near to perfect as a film can get. When slice of life is done well, it makes for some of my all time favourite films. Another one I've been thinking about a lot recently is I Am Twenty. Have any of you guys seen that?
tectactoe 07.07.20	@porc: Didn't realize MARKETA LAZAROVA was considered part of that movement, though I guess it makes sense. I have seen that, and have mostly fond memories of it, though it was probably close to a decade ago. I purchased the Criterion Blu-Ray upgrade but have yet to revisit it - I will try to prioritize. A few of the others I haven't seen (CREMATOR, DIAMONDS OF THE NIGHT) are on the Criterion Channel right now, too; I will queue them up.
tectactoe 07.07.20	@pheromone: Have not seen I AM TWENTY - would you recommend?
Pheromone 07.07.20	Hard recommend. There's this one, dated, chase-the-girl bit which left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth, but that aside the entire film is masterful and the ending is one of my favourites ever.
EyesWideShut 07.08.20	@tectactoe Ill never understand your hate for 80's American flicks.. smh..
tectactoe 07.08.20	To be fair, my #3 film of all time is an 80s American flick....
Winesburgohio 07.08.20	that is a really interesting take on The Birth of a Nation and not one I'd given due consideration, cheers, i'm handsome,
tectactoe 07.08.20	Figured I'd better come up with a half-reasonable take considering it's consistently the one film on my Favorites List that causes people to wince and scrutinize my credibility (and moral complexion as a human being), understandably so. DW was a cocksucker but the man could make a goddamn film, eh.
Winesburgohio 07.08.20	yea Intolerance is really good but i can't bring myself to watch The Birth of a Nation (original title: The Clansmen)
MiloRuggles 07.08.20	This list is like 50% made of things on my to-watch list. Which makes perfect sense, because looking at your Lettrboxd you've watched about twice as many films as me. Anyhow, nice list and taste xx
tectactoe 07.22.20	Danke danke, please keep me updated on which ones you eventually watch and inevitably love/hate :o)
tectactoe 08.04.20	Hollis Frampton's CRITICAL MASS would probably make this list though I'm not going to update it just for one belated viewing that missed the deadline. Perhaps that's a blessing in disguise - I'll see how I feel about it six months from now.
Ryus 08.04.20	53 is in my top 5 yeeee
tectactoe 08.04.20	Hell yeah. It's a little... "cleaner" than I prefer my noirs, honestly - not as gritty and shambly and all that, but that's all smoothed over by the quick wit of Wilder's pen. If there's one thing he was better at than direction, it was writing. And at the end of the day, I love how the film pretty much boils down to "Bros before Hoes." That closing, ceremonious lighting of the cigarette - whoo baby.
Egarran 09.02.20	Rejoice! I finally saw SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS and it was great. They don't make em like that anymore, no sir. Just the fact that it's so tight and relatively short - I'm used to this kind of movie being over 2 hours.
tectactoe 09.03.20	Hell yes. Amazing script. One of the finest, truly. Glad you enjoyed it. Tony Curtis makes a phenomenal lap dog.
Egarran 09.03.20	It's delightfully cynical. That scene where Curtis pimps out the cigarette girl is one of the sleaziest things I've seen in a Hollywood movie. He looks so much like Tom Hanks in this one.
tectactoe 10.27.20	Won't be an official update to this list for several more months yet (trying to limit myself to bi-yearly), but Ashby's THE LAST DETAIL will be making its way fairly high up into the ranks. Absolutely astonishing, heartbreaking film.
porcupinetheater 10.27.20	Nicholson’s unbelievable in that one. Maybe his best acting work?
Egarran 10.27.20	Damn I saw that ages ago, don't remember a thing. Hope you appreciate this information. Wait I got some more: Jack Quaid from The Boys is Randy Quaid's nephew. Yeah, crazy.
protokute 10.27.20	Interesting Rohmer's pick, the scenes on the park are excellent, I love how Rohmer analyses our unique, strange and sometimes goofy human behaviour with such naturality and tenderness. I need to watch it again, someday.
tectactoe 10.27.20	@porc - I'm inclined to agree. Love him in The Shooting, Easy Rider, Cuckoo's Nest, et al, but my god he was excellent in The Last Detial. @Egar - time for a revisit bb @proto - Definitely. Lots of good Rohmer picks - love My Night at Maud's and Claire's Knee, too, especially. The Aviator's Wife is the one that's always affected me deepest, though. Probably because I see a lot of my younger self in Francois (for better or for worse haha).
Pheromone 10.27.20	Watch I AM TWENTY if not just for the ending hnng
porcupinetheater 10.27.20	Need to spend more time with Rohmer. Rivette aside, usually prefer the left-bankers for the New Wave
protokute 10.27.20	@tectactoe i've been there too mate ;) For personal favorites from him, I would be between Claire's Knee, La Collectiounesse and Autumn Tale, but Rohmer's entire filmography could contend to that. I guess I could say Eric Rohmer is my favorite director, I can resonate and empathize with almost all his films.
tectactoe 10.27.20	Yeah, Rohmer would certainly be near the top for me. And put into a broader scope, French cinema would likely be my favorite collective nation as far as filmmakers are concerned. (Though my absolute favorite director would be either Tsai Ming-liang or Luis Buñuel if I had to choose just one.)
Winesburgohio 10.28.20	Interestingly Linklater directed a sequel to The Last Detail, "Last Flag Flying", a couple of years back. I saw it in cinemas and remember quite liking it, although obviously it doesn't hold a candle to the original
tectactoe 10.28.20	Remember seeing promotions for that movie but had no idea it was a successor to THE LAST DETAIL. Looked sort of lame based off of my extremely limited knowledge of it, but I might have to reconsider now.....
Pheromone 10.28.20	Adore Linklater if not just because he makes the films i used to dream about making when i was younger i.e. the conceptual films like boyhood
Yotimi 10.28.20	How is premonitions following an evil deed your 41st favorite film? Not criticizing, I genuinely want to know
Yotimi 10.28.20	It's like saying "you suffer" by napalm death is your favorite song
tectactoe 10.29.20	@Yotimi: that’s mostly a sentiment succored by context. With the constraints of the LUMIERE anthology - 54 seconds, three takes, no synchronized sound - Lynch managed to still create something freakishly, undeniably Lynchian, and for my money, one of the most nerve-rattling things he’s done. Granted yes it’s under a minute long only, but that’s part of what I think makes it incredible - he achieves something in just 50-some seconds here he couldn’t get with three full hours in INLAND DRIVE. I know they’re very different movies, obviously, but I guess my point is that I think the brilliance is how much power he packs into that amount of brevity. Perhaps titling this my “favorite” films is slightly misleading, because yeah I’m not sitting down and watching PREMONITIONS all the time haha. But i would consider it essential for the reasons I stated. And I think my highly favorable opinion of it is somewhat influenced by my contempt for INLAND EMPIRE, to some degree.
Yotimi 10.30.20	Ok I getcha. I mean its few images are eerie and unsettling...but then again it's 55 seconds and feels more like a film school experiment than any actual example of good filmmaking