Great hang out at Brandon's the other night. Those burritos were excellent...wish I had one right now. The Last Days of Disco, like Damsels In Distress, is very smart, hilarious, and fun. Don't believe me? Just ask Sir Nod. Jeff and Brandon, I think you'd both really enjoy Damsels. If only we could watch Metropolitan together next week, but unfortunately it's been pulled from NWI. Ridiculous. Take it from me, gang, this Instant Watch thing just ain't worth the money.
John, thanks for the BARTMAN game. I'm not exactly sure how to play it, but that won't deter me from enjoying your gift. I'll keep it next to the Sea Captain Simpsons toy I just bought on Amazon. Seriously. "Tis no man. Tis a remorseless eatin' machine."
Speaking of things I love and enjoy, these "greatest films of all-time" lists have been fun. Here are my favorite selections from each list so far...
John's: There Will Be Blood. Like Jeff, I love this pick and before I posted my list, I was deciding between Empire Strikes Back and TWBB. ESB won out in the end, but if I were to make this list again tonight, PTA's film would probably make it. There Will Be Blood is easily the best film of the last decade and it's definitely worth recognizing on an "all-time" list. I haven't seen Stalker yet, but your pick might prompt me to watch it sooner.
Brandon's: Rio Bravo. It probably would've been Night of the Hunter. I had plans to watch it before all of these lists were made, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Jeff has been trying to get me to watch it for weeks and claims I would love it (I imagine he's correct). When he decided to tape it off of TCM a month or so ago, I started to watch it but quickly fell victim to one of those notorious afternoon naps. Anyway, my favorite pick off of your list is Rio Bravo because it just might be my favorite Hawks film. A brilliant one that filled me the same elation a junkie gets from freebasing.
Jeff's: The Phantom of Liberty. Brilliant and funny. Thanks for telling me to watch it way back when. Blow-Up is a bold selection. It's definitely a film that I would classify as "must-see." I'm sure Brandon will agree ;) Too bad you followed the Sight & Sound rules, Boogie Nights is noticeably missing from your list. In fact, other Mark Whalberg movies are noticeably missing from your list. Where's Shooter, duder? I need to watch Diary of a Country Priest...if only there some way for me to watch it...
Ben's: The Fountain. I love that film and I'm glad you do as well. It's beautiful and underrated. For a while there, it felt as if Jeff and I were the only ones who really appreciated it. I also really like your Before Sunrise/Before Sunset pick as well. Those films contain some of the best conversations in all of film.
Adrienne's: 2001: A Space Odyssey, obviously. It'd be interesting to discuss the specifics about why we both made this one our number one pick. When I made my list, I tried to think of films that felt larger than the medium. 2001 immediately came to mind. I love all of Kubrick's films (though there are still two or three that I need to see), but 2001 is a remarkable achievement. Watching it for the first time is an experience you'll never forget.
Arthur's: The Royal Tenenbaums. There's a good chance you'll never read this, Arthur, but there are many interesting picks on your list...including the aforementioned Wes Anderson film. I love Wes and the way he writes his characters, especially father figures. Royal is a wonderful character and Gene Hackman does an exceptional job with the role. I'm kinda disappointed that there were no James Bond movies on Arthur Bond's list. Clearly I'm an idiot for writing that joke.
Tara's: Dumb and Dumber. Best comedy of the 90s and arguably the best comedy of all-time. The voices of Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels seem to pop up in my head all of time in the form of some quote from this movie. I love the fact that there are actual jokes in the film, and some brilliantly well-written ones at that. Also love the Big Fish, Charade, and Eternal Sunshine picks.
Brandon's parents': Roman Holiday and The Thin Man. Both films are instantly charming and loveable. We love films because they make us feel good and those two picks are perfect examples. Also, The Bourne Identity is the ultimate "Dad pick". If Rich Howard made a list, TBI would be in the honorable mentions at the very least.
When I posted my list, I thought about including the line, "this is not a favorite movies list." In making my list, I considered movies that a) I loved and b) deserved to be called one of the greatest films of all-time. In doing so, I ended up leaving off a lot of my favorite films. And then others were left off because I mostly tried to go with one film from each director (though there are a few exceptions). Anyway, here are some movies that would've made list had I done a Top Ten Favorites list:
Dr. Strangelove
Love and Death
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Rushmore
The Tree of Life
Christmas In July, Unfaithfully Yours, Hail to the Conquering Hero
Rope
Monsieur Beaucaire
Big Fish
Being John Malkovich
The Fountain
Memento
Drive
