Listal's 100 Movies To See Before You Die {revamped}

Here I go again with more nominations:

An Officer and a Gentleman
A romantic story. Great acting by Richard Gere, and a great soundtrack to boost. What can you not love about this film?

Chocolat
Wonderful performances by Molina, Binoche, Judi Dench and even Johnny Depp add credibility to this story. The chocolate seems sooo delicious, you want to be a guest of Vianne's shop to drink the thick hot chocolate and eat the delicate tasty chocolates. Definitely the best drama of that year. Five full stars. (And ten stars to the producers who have decided to produce this instead of a Rambo-type film.)

Paul Haggis' Crash
An urban thriller, superbly directed by Paul Haggis, and with outstanding performances by Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser and Ryan Philippe. Beautiful cinematography.

Dead Poets Society
To quote the dvd's back cover, "Robin Williams delivers an extraordinary performance in one of the most compelling motion pictures of all time." Let's not forget the amazing performances of Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard. An unforgettable movie that changes not only the students' lives, but also the viewers'.

Dirty Dancing
Splendid to watch, just for the dance scenes. Jennifer Grey, and Patrick Swayze co-star brilliantly and majestically in this story about dance and love. Superb soundtrack.

Ghost
A touching love story, that combines a supernatural tale, comedy and a little on the thrilling side. Whoopi Goldberg, Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze's performances make this film a "must-see" romance.

Legends of the Fall
The epic story of three brothers and a woman who changed their lives. A superb cast: Aidan Quinn, Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Henry Thomas and Julia Ormond. Brilliant direction. Splendid cinematography.

Leon: The Professional
What other reason would there be for watching this, but Natalie Wood, Jean Reno, and a whole lot of action and guns? There is just something about this film that makes it stand out more than others. The acting, the directing and the cinematography are the main ones. Brilliant performances.

Sleeping with the Enemy
An eerie look into the world of marriage... with someone you don't really know. Try to escape it, maybe you can, maybe you can't. While this is certainly not Julia Roberts' best performance, this film should be seen for its superb direction, and an even better script (despite a few flaws).

Splash
A spectacular romantic comedy - they don't make them like this anymore. Daryl Hannah, John Candy and Tom Hanks are simply hilarious.

The Green Mile
A stellar ensemble, of which Tom Hanks in what is his best performance ever (in my humble opinion), come together in this emotional story of guards and captives, husbands and wives. If you haven't seen this one, you should go rent (or buy) it now!

True Romance
One of the best action films ever! With an outstanding, mind-blowing cast that includes Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken; brilliantly directed by Tony Scott; this is by far in my opinion, Quentin Tarantino's best script ever. Perhaps the best way to summarize the film (and the reasons why to watch it) is to quote Tarantino himself:
real

West Side Story
A brilliant film that sets the ageless story of Romeo and Juliet, in 1950s New York. A heartbreaking film with superb performances and a brilliant direction.

Nominating The Last Man Standing possibly my favorite rendition of Kurosawa's Yojimbo. Bruce Willis plays the part of the mysterious hitman "John Smith" who plays off the weaknesses of two rival gangs, causing them to wipe each other out. Deffinitely worth a watch.

Backing The Name of the Rose because it put an excelent historical spin on the detective genre of film. Also A Clockwork Orange, just because.

Unbacking: Top Gun, I don't have anything against it, it just wasn't mind blowing in an respect. Not a movie I'd say needs to be seen. Also, and this will probably be a less popular move. Unbacking Brazil. I liked it well enough, but it seemed too caught up in existentialism that it wasn't plot oriented enough. Avid cult movie fans or followers of Terry Gilliam's work will benifit from seeing it, but I wouldn't recomend it to my neighbours or anything like that, hence why think 12 Monkeys was the better choice of his films.

Also, as a side note, I recomend that Metropolis be listed as either "Metropolis (1927)" or "Metropolis (Fritz Lang)" lest it should be confused with the anime of the same name.

Peking Opera Blues
A heady blend of action, adventure, intrigue with a leavening of comedy. There are better action movies, adventure movies, etc..but no one else has ever mixed the elements together as perfectly as this.

Philadelphia Story
Yes, there are lots of other great screwball comedies, but this one features Hepburn, Grant, and Stewart just as they were roaring into their primes. Another thing, it's screwball, but not so much that it would stretch your credulity. Hilarious and a heart tugger.

Forbidden Planet
It fostered the creation/mainstreaming (inasmuch as it was mainstreamed) of electronic music. As good an adaption of Shakespeare as you'll ever see. Robby the Robot.


Seven Samurai
A movie copied so many ways, by so many people must have been doing something right.

Singing in the Rain
The archetypal musical comedy. Plus a great send-up of Hollywood.

My Neighbor Totoro
Perfect family film. Magical and inspiring.

Aliens
The perfect sci-fi action movie. Within this movie is one sequence that is absolutely perfect. I've never seen it done better anywhere else. If you've seen the movie you should know of what I speak.

Backing The Green Mile and The Shining

Unbacking Grease

Things are shaping up nicely team. I may have to change the format sooner than I expected. Keep the nominations coming though!!

A lot of hate for Terminator 2: Judgment Day so why don't I go to the source.

The Terminator
One word: fear. This film preys on that aspect of the human psyche. A relentless force which cannot be bargained or reasoned with, it really does make you feel that you wouldn't stand a chance. A fantastic time travel sci-fi with a lot of commentary on machinisation. Looks like I'm a real Cameron whore.

L.A. Confidential
I didn't watch this film until last year and I'm a fool for doing so. Quite dark rendition of life in Los Angeles. The story of three very different policemen who journey through some 'odd' crimes which all have subtle links toward each other. Fanastic casting and a great soundtrack.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
A British Gem. The ultimate East End gangster flick. Fantastic dialogue, cinematography and not to mention an ensemble cast out to win my heart!

I'll be backing Leon, The Green Mile and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Cant wait for the backings only round....do we get more nominations if we can write a saucy lymerick?

Unbacking:
Castaway (I always felt this was just such a publicity stunt movie for FedEx, same as You've Got Mail was another publicity stunt movie; I don't feel this "has to be" seen before you go.)
Grease (There are better musicals that should be seen before you go, including Cabaret and West Side Story, for example.)

Backing
Philadelphia Story
The Shining

If you really want more nominations :-) I'll add to the list:
Cabaret
The score, the acting (Liza Minnelli's!) and the direction by Bob Fosse... A winner of 8 - that's right 8 - Academy Awards, it must have done something right!

Superman: the movie (1978)
Here I nominate the first Superman with Christopher Reeve. He is the superhero of all Superheroes. He can fly, can freeze things by blowing on them, has X-ray vision and has superhuman strength. What else do you need?

Well DD, we need some more musical representation in general I think, Im gonna nominate:

Moulin Rouge The best musical made in decades, the ultimate story or romance, beauty and the bohemian way. I genuinely believe this film HAS to be seen before you die; its overwhelmingly beautiful on so many levels.

Yikes... I disagree with your nomination of Moulin Rouge, but hey, it's not because I don't particularly care for musicals (usually), it's just that Moulin Rouge I found was pretty bad... musically speaking. The music just didn't fit the rest of the movie (which was fine), but I found myself cringing every time the score would come on. So, for me, this has got to be unbacked (so sorry!). I'm sure others will back up your nomination :)

However...
Chicago has got to be one of the best musicals ever. Richard Gere, Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah give stellar performances, and the music is simply astounding. And the direction is one of the best I've seen. That's one movie I watch every year :)
So, I'm adding Chicago as a nomination!

I was going to say Chicago after Moulin; I back Chicago.. haha dont worry DD thats what an unback is for its a Listal top 100; I already made my own 'Top 50' list in march.

"Oh yes, Oh yes, Oh yes, they both, Oh yes, they both, Oh yes, they both reached for.." I love Chicago!

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest gets my backing...I thinking I have a few backings left...I'll save them.

I've got 3 more backings so I'd better use them up.

I back One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest, Children of Men and Raiders of Lost Ark

Just finished watching

Schindler's List it definately deserves a place on here. The whole film is like a stab in the gut; scene after scene of terrifying acts of genocide, racial hatred and sadism that defined The Holocaust. Filmed with art and dignity; it is by no means a gorey 'snuff' film like 'The Passion'. Filmed in black and white throughout and thrown into colour at the end; when hundreds of present day Jews (many of them Oskar Schindler's workers) come to pay their respects to him. Liam Neeson acts superbly throughout; after all his work Schindler feels nothing but guilt at how many more he should have saved.

Unbacking: Passion of the Christ, Primer and Sweeney Todd Those are *not* must-see, at least not in my top 100.

Definitely backing One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest and Schindler's List

I'm refraining from nominating any more titles, trying to give a chance to others :) that way I can back up (and unback!) some too ! I've got a whole bunch of films I'm slowly working my way up to (so I guess it's my own top 100), and One Flew... was on my list. While I was off work for the past 5 weeks, it was one I saw (amongst many as you can imagine) and it should definitely be in the Listal top 100. Jack Nicholson at his best in One Flew...

Nominations:
Mr and Mrs Smith. A stylish and entertaining flick that I really enjoyed. To me it seemed like it would have something for everyone; action, drama, thrills, romance.. and of course it brought together Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, with some strong chemistry and together some great acting talent.

Ocean's Eleven. Another great action flick with more to it than meets the eye, with a great mix of extraordinary actors and some witty lines; Ocean's Eleven is both stylish, full of action and thrills, and comical.

The Bourne Ultimatum. In my opinion the best of the 'Bourne' movies so far. It is unique and fast-paced, with some visually stunning scenes to watch and a great performance from Matt Damon.

The Sixth Sense will remain one of my fave, if not my all-time favourite movie with supernatural themes. Together with an incredible cast, this movie keeps the viewer compelled throughout it's entire length and maintains it's mysterious vibe. I'm sure you'd agree if you've seen in, that the twist at the end is truly unique and to be remembered.

Hot Fuzz. Entertaining beyond belief! Combines action with comedy and does it brilliantly, creating one of the most compelling and fun movies to watch. Hot Fuzz will always remain a favorite of mine, and I prefer it over Shaun of the Dead. Great directing from Edgar Wright and a great cast.


Backing:
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Usual Suspects, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, O Brother, Where art thou?, Collateral, Jaws, Chocolat, Legends of the Fall, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and The Lion King.


Unbacking:
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe and The Land Before Time.

Claudia, which Ocean's Eleven are you nominating? There are two of them. The original is with Frank Sinatra, and the remake is the George Clooney, Matt Damon et al. one.

Unbacking:
Mr and Mrs Smith one of the worst action pictures ever made, Jolie and Pitt are two very lousy actors, and it shows up even more here.
The Bourne Ultimatum maybe it makes a top 1000, but not a top 100.

Backing:
The Sixth Sense
Top Hat


Nominating:
The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise. That is one of the best films taking place in Asia, it's got loads of action, great scenes, and a bit of romance.

Hay! Those have already been nominated and added to the list! I hardly think it's fair to nominate them again. Unless of course you are merely backing them up, then by all means go ahead.

They went through as Backings. I'm pretty sure he didn't study the list and just wrote about the films he wanted up. No worries.

The Lion King Beauty and the Beast

The Departed
I literally walked into this film without any preconceptions. I walked out loving it. The story of two double lives so heavily intertwined was so intricately placed together that it was beyond perfect. Scorcese fully deserved his Oscar. It could not have been placed in better hands. Every actor pulls off their roles with flying colours. It deserves a seat on the Listal Express to Glory.

Beauty and the Beast
My favourite Disney film of the lot. If Lion King is getting nominated, I can't sit by and watch B&B get poleaxed out of the running. The story is more focused on romance than the usual adventure Disney films but that doesn't make it any worse. Vanity is a key aspect of this film which is criticised throughout the narrative. The magical and enchanting tale is filled with vivid colours and wonderful music, a great reimagining of the classic story.

I'm backing Hot Fuzz and Groundhog Day.

P.S. YOU CAN'T VOTE FOR LION KING TWICE GEMLIL!

Voxy, you nominate 300 and unback Groundhog Day?? wow. I mean, i'm speechless.

GB aka Ta, once a film makes the cut, it needs 4 extra unbacks to be booted off, right? Please tell me Groundhog Day is safe. :)

GB aka TA, once a film makes the cut, it needs 4 extra unbacks to be booted off, right?

Fraid not. I needed another way to rank the list. So the +1/-1 score system is in effect. That was the old system before this revamp. Groundhog Day is safe for now.

I'm backing Schindler's List and Jurassic Park.

I unback Office Space.

Gonna have to give Gibson some props now. Apocalypto is quite an interesting story. Fate, Destiny and Will. The style alone was amazing. I will never forget the first shot of the pyramid and the thousands of people gathered around it. Giboson's best work to date.

Nominating Falling Down a great and often overlooked film about a man pushed to the edge by the constant disappointments of everyday life and the uncaring and indifferent attitudes of people in today's society. From the start till nearly the end the viewer is left wondering whether the protagonist is an every day schmo turned crusading anti-hero or whether he has always been a few pieces short of a puzzle.

Also, What Dreams May Come, a beautiful film about life, love and death with a unique artistic twist to a very Dante-esque afterlife. Definitely worth seeing at least once, and appeals to really any audience.

Backing: Clerks, Metropolis (1927), The Sixth Sense and I guess I'm saving my remaining back and unback.

I share the same opinion of Voxy as per Groundhog day so I'm unbacking it too!
Also unbacking Office Space and The Departed

And I back Lion King and Lucky Number Seven as that was rather original! (I was hoping someone would nominate it :p)


I'd love to see where I stand as to all those backings and unbackings! Need I nominate more?
If so, Braveheart comes to mind, it's an important epic, and a lot of work was put in there, it clearly shows. Plus, it's got Mel Gilbson :)

As of the current regime, doudouce has nominated 50 films. I say thats you capped for the time being love!

Well, I'm going to make it 51, with Mary Poppins. In my eyes, a definite children and adult movies, that is a whole lot of fun! A splendid soundtrack with great tunes, a superb cast, and amazing directing. Who can't love the magic nanny?
No one should unback this :)

And how about WarGames? That's a great film, but I'm not sure if it really should be on a top 100. Anyway, here's a nomination. It is/was a fun film about computers, and incidentally kinda put Matthew Broderick on the map, though not so much Ally Sheedy.

And while I'm at it... let's nominate My Fair Lady How lovely can Eliza Doolittle be! You either love or hate her and the professor, but all in all, it's a great film in every aspect.

-------

Now, I haven't seen these films so I can't nominate them (I refuse to nominate something "just because it should be on the top 100"), but I thought perhaps others would have a reason why. So here are some titles to think about:
Beetlejuice
Chariots of Fire
Citizen Kane
Cleopatra (with Elizabeth Taylor)
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Lawrence of Arabia
The Music Man
The Nightmare before Christmas
The Ten Commandments

Say what- no Christmas movie nominated yet? Come on... There should be at least one. And how about a dragon movie?

I think this thread has gone from 'movies worthy of being top 100 of all time' to just a popularity contest of every movie everyone likes.

Ah, I was nominating the newer 'Ocean's Eleven' with George Clooney, Brad Pitt etc...

I'm backing The Departed.

@Prelude: that's my impression too. come on, i also like a lot of trash and cult movies, but "top 100 of ALL time" and then you see movies like 300, Gladiator, The Lion King, Bridget Jone's Diary or The Land Before Time? give me a break...

i'd unback a dozen of them in a whim, but the problem is i really can't suggest any more than i already did with a clear conscience.

Also this two-backings-per-one-nomination thing is kinda forcing us to nominate strange stuff with lame explanations in order to back stuff.

You don't have to back every time you nominate. Some people leave them in the bank to use when worthy films come out. You can have them in reserve. You have a useful system DC, where you nominate and back 2 in every post you make which is very helpful on my part and it also helps you keep track. Don't feel you have to back, everytime you nominate a film.

The current system is only in place so that we can get a good collection of nominations. At first we had people just backing and unbacking films without bringing anything new to the fold. Its only temporary. No one should have the right to slag off a film without putting in their own film which is what happened in the first thread.

So be patient y'all.

Now, I haven't seen these films so I can't nominate them (I refuse to nominate something "just because it should be on the top 100"), but I thought perhaps others would have a reason why.

Fantastic doudouce. If anyone actually nominated or backed a film they have never seen are quite wrong. I did have a compiled list already of associated classics and must sees which I was gonna post at the end of this phase so people would remember to nominate them if they didn't recall them in time. I was talking to someone over PM who listed me another 20 films which hadn't made the nomination list thus far but were all worthy of being nominated. So there really is a lot more out there for us to sink our teeth into.

I think this thread has gone from 'movies worthy of being top 100 of all time' to just a popularity contest of every movie everyone likes.

Actually it is "Listal's 100 Movies To See Before You Die." So they don't necessarily have to be considered classics. Besides you need four backings to a nomination for it to make the list so it isn't individual favourites which are getting the air time. Everyones understanding of the list is different.

I'm going out on a whim now. I nominate Speed 2: Cruise Control to be considered for the list. A sequel which heavily relied on its predessor to rake in the dollars. It is an example of how low Hollywood, the most influencial and widespread film industry, will stoop just to make money. The film is cheesey, corney, shit, cringeworthy, embarressing, outrageous, shit, poor, shit, bad, a flop and above all a massive failure! This kind of film is a great comparison to the titans that have been nominated. It defies what we all expect from a classic. It would give clarity on why other films are so good. This film isn't meant to be a comedy but we all laugh at it. The film alone creates a new perspective on what we all think should be on the list. An unconventional comedy shitfest, it gives everyone something else to expect.

Don't everyone start nominating shit films, this was just an example of how different the list can be perceived. So don't start bellyaching when your own nominated films don't make the cut.

Of course it is a popularity contest. It is the votes of members that get the films on to the list. You see how the likes of Fantasia and Toy Story fumbled because they weren't entirely popular with everyone? It weeds out the chaff. Everyone has their own personal expectations of the list but not everyone is going to get what they want. There are loads of films nominated that no one has battered an eyelid at because only the peson who nominated deemed it worthy but no one else did.

It was always going to be a tug of war. One step forward, one step back with the votes. There is no other way to do it fairly.

movies worthy of being top 100 of all time = movies that Prelude likes ?

Don't put words in my mouth, DC. That's not what I said, so don't imply it.

It seems everyone is just naming off every movie they've rated a 9 or 10 out of 10 without thinking if it truly belongs in 'Top 100 of films to see'.

True but u need at least 5 people on here to love that film enough to put it on the list.

I need to wait for those people who went out of the current boundaries to get back on track before I can move on. Otherwise I have to remove their contributions which I don't really wanna do. More is better really.

Two more nominations:

- Blazing Saddles. Mel Brooks' early period was very strong. The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein. I think Blazing Saddles holds up the best, though, mostly because race relations in this country is still a pretty touchy subject.

- Rio Bravo. My favorite "classic" (ie non-revisionist) Hollywood Western. I'm not a huge fan of John Wayne, but just about anything Howard Hawks touches turns to gold. The supporting cast, including Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, and Walter Brennan, are uniformly excellent. A smart, funny script and a talented cast and crew make this a must see in the Western genre.

Backing: The Big Lebowski, Rear Window (which shows up on the list twice, by the way, as does Children of Men), The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Godfather, The Maltese Falcon, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, and Run, Lola, Run.

I'm not going to "unback" anything 'cause I think that's a pretty obnoxious thing to do. It's not even necessary at this point. It's not like we have hundreds of nominations with 4+ votes all vying for the top spots. (When it gets to that point I'd prefer some kind of run-off vote scheme for the deciding what makes the final list instead.)

Phantom of the Opera- The most harrowing and moving tale of love and passion ever! Which also just happens to be the most successful west end stage musical turned film.

Lost in Translation- Such understated relations in film making is rare. This film is all about what isn't and doesn't need to be said. Relying on dry melancholy humour and a sense of self confusion we all, at times feel. The ending is a masterpiece in itself.

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind- A beautiful film that advoids falling into the all too common traps of indie quirkiness. Makes you consider what you have before its lost. Origional, funny and brilliantly acted by Winslet and Carrey.

Driving Miss Daisy- This film is still as touching entertaining and relevant today as it was in 1989. Dealing with prejudices tenderly overcome allowing friendships to blossom.

Life Aquatic- If you haven't seen this or any other Wes Anderson films then they are love or hate comedy. This is one of my favourites. Filled with Bill Murrey's synicisms against Owen Wilson's energy and Cate Blanchett's cool demeaner.

Harvey- Beautiful classic comedy about a man who is friends with a six foot rabbit that just happens to be invisable. Is he crazy, or is the rest of the wolrd just blinded by ignorance? James Stewart is as smooth and charming as ever.

Romeo and Juliet- A msterful adaptation of Shakespear's tragic love story. Inspired and modernised whilst remaining accurate and advoiding and cliches. Enjoyable and educational!

My Girl- Who hasn't watched this and felt the tears role down freely. Touching tale of the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Alfie- As a woman will make you glad you live in the 21st Centuary if nothing else does. A humorous and shocking film of male chauvinism.

I can't believe I forgot this earlier, Sin City. By no contest the greatest comic book adaptation in film history. The expert direction keeps the story moving smoothly from frame to frame and page to page. The story is hard, the heroes are flawed and the victories are bitter sweet at best, it's a must see.