Best movie of each decade

[Kalel21]

This list is, of course, just my opinion and highly arguable. Please feel free to argue.

1920s--"The General" with Buster Keaton. Best sight gags ever--one right after another.

1930s--"King Kong" Still the best monster movie ever.

1940s--"Casablance" The most perfect cast for a movie ever.

1950s--"Rear Window" My favorite Hitchcock. So well done it stays suspenseful even after multiple viewings.

1960s--"Lawrence of Arabia" Wonderful epic filmmaking.

1970s-- "Star Wars" I'm a geek and proud of it.

1980s--"Raiders of the Lost Ark" 'Cause I'm still a geek and proud of it.

1990s--"Beauty and the Beast" Beautiful story and animation.

2000s (so far)--"Master and Commander" Great story and characters.

[coyotejack]

A fine list indeed, think I'll run some off the top of my head as well:

1920s--"Metropolis" by Fritz Lang. Barely edges out "Nosferatu" with it's completely futuristic and original vision.

1930s--"Wizard of Oz" The legacy of this movie will never be forgotten. Hard for me to say Oz because my personal favorites of the 30's are the Marx Brothers movies.

1940s--"Citizen Kane" If any movie defines "classic", this is it.

1950s--"Seven Samurai" Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece that inspired film-makers from around the world. Plus, Toshiro Mifune is one of my favorite actors.

1960s--"Lawrence of Arabia" Agreed, epic is the word. I think it edges out another great film "Dr. Zhivago".

1970s-- "Star Wars" Amen and preach on brother.

1980s--"Raiders of the Lost Ark" Definately. Best thing Spielberg has ever been part of in my opinion.

1990s--"Dances with Wolves" Excellent story and a time when people stilled loved Costner. Though Lion King, Apollo 13, and the Crow are excellent as well.

2000s (so far)--"Spider-Man" Perfect blending of comic book geekiness and user-friendly jump on point.

[SpakSpang]

Coyote Jack:

Your earlier works are dead on. However, I disagree with a few of your later decades. Spider-Man definately isn't the best film of 2000s so far. This is a hard thread to pin down, because there are so many great films, but your earlier work reached past personal preference and reached into impact on culture and society.

[Kalel21]

Originally posted by SpakSpang
This is a hard thread to pin down, because there are so many great films,

I agree with that. I knew when I started the thread that it couldn't help but be arbitrary to an extent. How, for instance, can you really compare "The General" with "Metropolis" other than they were both made in the 1920s. Otherwise, they're two completely different films.

If I had made my list at a different moment from when I did, it would have been a different list. "Bride of Frankentein," "The Maltese Falcon," "The Searchers," "Jason and the Argonauts." So many great films all great for their own reasons.

[rouge2]

1920s - Nosferatu

1930s - King Kong - Outstanding Special Effects in some of the stop-motion scenes. Years ahead of it's time.

1940s - Casablanca - Brilliant performnces with sharp crisp dialogue. Most people never acknowledge it, but this movie's got some great laughs to.

1950's - Seven Samurai - definition of an Epic, while keeping characters grounded.

1960's - Night of the Living Dead - Brilliantly scary with stronger characterisation than it gets credit for.

1970's Life of Brian - controversial choice given an excellent era (Godfather, Taxi Driver, Annie Hall, etc.) but stands for me as one of the great satires of all time.

1980's Jesus de Montreal - Powerful and complex. A must see.

1990's Naked Lunch - Two masters (Burroughs and Cronenberg) meld minds to create a work of art that truly grows better every time I see it. My favourite film of all time.

2000's Mulholland Drive - another tough choice (with Donnie Darko and Bowling for Columbine running not far behind). THe Club Silenco scene is one of the most perfect individual scenes in all of moviedom.

[The Qwardian]

20's - Nosferatu, movies based them selves after it for years
30's - King kong. I mean come on!
40's - Citizen Kane - "Rosebud!"
50's - Seven Samurai - Even Steven Spielberg said it is the first action movie and the blue print for all to follow. Plus the story line was beautiful! None of that happiely ever after carp!
60's - A tie between Spartacus and To kill a mocking bird.
70's - Star Wars - no doubt
80's - Transformers the movie - Great music, great story so what if its a cartoon!
90's -Another tie, Run Lola Run! You have to watch it to get it. And Leon the Professional, The international version adds an extra star to an already incredible movie!
00's - The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. When viewing all in a row as one film its even better!

[Kurenai]

00's - Lord of the Rings Trilogy
90's - Shawshank Redemption. One of the greatest movies of all time
80's - Amadeus (for plot and acting) or Aliens (for action and effects)
70's - hmm.. just too many to choose between.. Star Wars, Godfater, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Clockwork Orange
60's - Lawrence of Arabia
50's - Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Rashomon, Hidden Fortress. This was Kurosawa's decade. period
40's - I'll have to go with Casablanca for this one
30's - M or Modern Times
20's - Metropolis

[ohcysp]

20's- Metroplis, Nosferatu was good, but come on Fritz Lang.
30's- Bride of Frankensein, Of course The 39 Steps was great.
40's- This is a hard decade, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, The Third Man, The Maltese Falcon to name a few.
50's- Seven Samurai, 12 Angry Men, and Rear window is my alltime Favorite Hitchcock movie, even more than my namesake.
60's- Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Psycho(of course) Yojimbo.
70's- The Godfather, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the third kind.
80's- The Shinning, Brazil, Blade Runner...
90's- Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, Se7en...
00's- Yeah, the Lord of the Rings all 3 movies, Donnie Darko...

[ohcysp]

And for all the honorable mentions that are to numerous to mention.

[ILIKESTORIES]

20's Metropolis
30's Duck Soup
40's Citizen Kane
50's Sunset Blvd
60's Dr. Strangelove
70's Godfather
80's Die Hard (this will only be on my list, oh well)
90's Pulp Fiction
00's Memento

There's my two cents!-Joel

[soul man]

00 - Lord of the rings
90 - the toughest pick for me, so many greats - goodfella, american beauty but I have to go with my favorite movie of all time. FIGHT CLUB
80 - Raiders of the lost ark - come on who doesn't like to see a good old fashioned nazi fight! jk
70 - the godfather, but it was close with Star Wars
60 - to kill a mockingbird
50 - seven samurai
40 - rope, my favorite hitchcock movie. A masterpiece
30 - king kong, I agree that it was ahead of its time
20 - nosferatu, I just like vampires

[eltigrediablo]

20's - The Gold Rush - quality comedy. This is the film that Chaplin said he wanted to be remembered for.
30's - Dracula - Atmospheric creepfest. Paved the road for all the great Universal monster films that followed for the next decade and a half.
40's - Citizen Kane - Hard decade to pick just one, but since it produced the greatest film of all time, then it should be the choice.
50's - Ben Hur - The epic's epic.
60's - Dr. Strangelove - Another great great decade of films, but this one stands alone.
70's - Godfather II - The rarest of beasts...a sequel that meets and exceeds the original.
80's - Raging Bull - Easily.
90's - Trois Couleurs trilogy, Bleu, Blanc, Rouge - When Kieslowski said these would be his last films, I always hoped something would lure him back to his craft. When he died, I wept. Beautiful, haunting, resonant films.
00's - LOTR trilogy - other films have been varying degrees of original, well acted, well written, entertaining, successful, whatever...but nothing...nothing...on this scale.

[eltigrediablo]

Nope...I tried to live with it, but I can't....

I have to change my pick for the 70's to my choice for one of the most perfect, start-to-end films of all time.

Jaws.

[The Qwardian]

Originally posted by eltigrediablo

90's - Trois Couleurs trilogy, Bleu, Blanc, Rouge - When Kieslowski said these would be his last films, I always hoped something would lure him back to his craft. When he died, I wept. Beautiful, haunting, resonant films.


Can't believe I left them out!!
Which of the three did you like the best? Mine would have to be Blanc (White for those that dont know french).
Just simply a brilliant story! I was happy he got his "revenge" But quickly felt really sorry for him and his wife
:cry: Really showed what love can do to a person:ermm:

[oogie56]

20's-Cabinet of Dr Caligiri(?)-little known silent film that lead to the Horror industry
30's-Wizard of Oz-great for all ages, and has held up over time
40's-Citizen Kane-the best ever
50's-Seven Samurai-best forgein film ever
60's-Psycho-Hitchcockian masterpiece
70's-Jaws-will YOU go back into the water?
80's-Empire Strikes Back-the best of the Star Wars films
90's-Usual Suspects-the first great mystery in decades
00's-LOTR-this may well be the best series of films of all time

[coyotejack]

Originally posted by SpakSpang
Coyote Jack:

Your earlier works are dead on. However, I disagree with a few of your later decades. Spider-Man definately isn't the best film of 2000s so far. This is a hard thread to pin down, because there are so many great films, but your earlier work reached past personal preference and reached into impact on culture and society.

Thanks for the critique. :)

The later decades are pretty difficult to establish since so many "big" films have hit. Not just monetarily, but artistically. My choice of Spidey was definately influenced by preference but it was one of the few movies I've seen where the fan-boys were dragging their girlfriends in and they BOTH actually enjoyed themselves. Also, it set a new standard for the genre. Are others worthy of being called the best? You betcha! LOTR is first to my mind...but I don't find it as user-friendly as Spidey for the uninitiated.

[ASpaceBoyDream]

Whoa, I wasn't expecting to actually see intelligent picks here! Color me impressed. Usually when somebody starts a great movies thread, all we see is Star Wars, Fight Club, LOTR, etc.

'20's: "The General"
'30's: "Scarface"
'40's: Gotta be "Citizen Kane"
'50's: "Vertigo"
'60's: "La Dolce Vita"
'70's: "Taxi Driver"
'80's: "Do The Right Thing"
'90's: Three Colors Trilogy
'00's: "School of Rock" (yes, I'm serious)

Of course, my favorite movies of each decade would be different (except for the '30's and '00's).

[Basil Elks]

'30's Bride of Frankenstien
'40's Wolf Man
'50's Godzilla
'60's Batman
'70's Star Wars ;)
'80's: Monster Squad
'90's: Sleepy Hollow
'00's: the Cell

[coyotejack]

Originally posted by ASpaceBoyDream

'00's: "School of Rock" (yes, I'm serious)


Excellent movie...and one that would make me reconsider my pick. :)

[NotYou]

20's Safety Last -- Harold LLoyd
30's Swing Time -- Fred Astaire
40's Casablanca
50's The Prisoner of Zenda
60's Psycho
70's Star Wars
80's The Blues Brothers
90's Silence of the Lambs / Braveheart
00's The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy) / Closely followed by Spider-Man

Best? Maybe not. But my favourites.
Loads of other contenders, these are the ones that came to mind most strongly.

[jedah_s]

not saying they're *the best*....
just my picks..... I'm not a film student, so I'll skip some decades

30's: Wizard of Oz
60's: Psycho/ A Shot in the Dark
70's: Blazing Saddles/ Jaws
80's: Airplane/ Raider's of the Lost Ark
90's: Storm Riders/ Nightmare Before Christmas
00's: Lord of the Rings trilogy/ Battle Royale

[Maniac_nmt]

you do of course realise Seven Samurai cannot be the first action/adventure film as it's dirrector speciffically stated it was based on Hollywood Westerns. He set out to make a Samurai movie in the mold of a Western film (which makes The Magnificent Seven all the more ironic as it was inspired by The Seven Samurai, although it is a magnificent film too). Not to say it's a bad movie, it's just not the first action flick

[Maniac_nmt]

40s - It's a Wonderful Life
50s - tie Ben Hur or The 10 Commandments (simply amazing films, modern ones #### with their CGI extras, nothing like 6000+ real people in real costumes on screen for an Epic)
60s - The easy answer is Lawerence of Arabia, but since everyone else nominated it, I will put forth Zulu with Micheal Cain
70s - 3 and 4 Musketeers with Micheal York, Charlton Heston, Christopher Lee, Raquel Welsch, and more. Simply awesome sword fights and just out and out funny
80s - Conan the Barbarian
90s - hmmm...have to think about it
00s - Passion of the Christ - say what you will, but no other film from this time has generated as much controversy (not to mention well done, irregardless of faith)

Honorable Mentions go to any John Wayne Western, for giving us the mold for future action heros, Shrek 1 and 2 for making us take an animated movie seriously, Great Escape for it's stellar cast and great story, and The Longest Day with it's great cast, and points of view from both Axis and Allied sides.

[SpaceGhost]

Unless I missed it, I am shocked no one said...
90's: The Matrix.

Followed closly behind Pulp Fiction ;-)

Do not judge a movie on its sequels!

[SmittySue]

00's- Lord of the Rings Trilogy
90's-L.A. Confidential (One of the Smartest Movie Ever)
80's (Tie) -Top Gun (American propaganda at it's best)/Aliens-(Sci-film that seemed real)
70's -Jaws (A generation of swimmers, did not enter the water.)
60's-The Graduate (The first Teen Sex film?)
50's-Ten Commandments (Still holds up every Easter)
40's-Casablanca (
30's Gone with the Wind (Ground breaking effects)

[Maniac_nmt]

perhaps one that should be mentioned is The Great Train Robbery. Which started the Western Genre, and really got movies all over up and going.

[Thunderbolts]

Originally posted by The Qwardian

80's - Transformers the movie - Great music, great story so what if its a cartoon!


Hell yes.

tb - sorry ESB

[rouge2]

Originally posted by The Qwardian
Can't believe I left them out!!
Which of the three did you like the best? Mine would have to be Blanc (White for those that dont know french).
Just simply a brilliant story! I was happy he got his "revenge" But quickly felt really sorry for him and his wife
:cry: Really showed what love can do to a person:ermm:

They made my short list too. Man, the early 90's (90-95) had such an amazing slate of independant and 'foreign' movies, hopefully historians will remember it as the Golden Age for breakout film.

Of the Three Colours I love "Bleu" the most. Having lost someone close to me near the time I watched it, it really, REALLY, struck home. The sense of isolation (self-imposed) and the heavy but subdued emotion were so dead on. It's a painful, yet beautiful film to watch.

Early 90's masterpieces:

Carrington
Antonia's Line
Exotica
Heavenly Creatures
Margaret's Museum
Welcome to the Dollhouse
Clerks
Leon (the Professional)
Once Were Warriors
Farewell my Concubine
Three Colours Trilogy
Music of Chance
Short Cuts
Baraka
Bob Roberts
Barton Fink
My Own Private Idaho
London Kills Me
Jacob's Ladder
Miller's Crossing
Nikita
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
The Fisher King

[eltigrediablo]

Originally posted by The Qwardian
Can't believe I left them out!!
Which of the three did you like the best? Mine would have to be Blanc (White for those that dont know french).
Just simply a brilliant story! I was happy he got his "revenge" But quickly felt really sorry for him and his wife
:cry: Really showed what love can do to a person:ermm:

I honestly think I love them all equally, but there's just a little something so extra cathartic about the end scene of Red, when everyone is on the boat together....It's an incredible wrap-up.

[Kalel21]

I wish it were legit to sign on with a second ID in order to post a list with choices like "Dude, Where's My Car?" and "Ishtar," just to see what the reactions would be.

On the other hand, it's hard to come up with really bad movies from the 1920s through 1940s. Even B-movies like the Mr. Moto films, #### Tracy films or the later Universal horror films are still legitimately entertaining.

This is probably because, in the days before tapes and discs, bad movies were quickly forgotten, leaving just the worthwhile ones behind. Hey, maybe we should all march enmasse on all the Blockbusters and Best Buys, burning all the DVD copies of modern bad movies in order to prevent our grandchildren from being embarrassed for us.

[Eric Rage]

I always say there's a difference between the best movie I've ever seen and my favorite. There are movies I love w/every fiber of my being, but there's no way I could even begin to pose an argument that it's the "best movie" of any given year. That said...

Best
'50s: "Vertigo"
'60s: "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid"
'70s: "Jaws"
'80s: "GoodFellas"
'90s: "Shawshank Redemption"
'00s: "Kill Bill v. 1&2"

Favorites
'60s: "Kelly's Heroes"
'70s: (tie) "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory", "The Warriors"
'80s: (tie) "Aliens", "Major League"
'90s: (tie) "Office Space", "Any Given Sunday"
'00s: "Snatch"

[Gentlegamer]

I don't know if these are the best, but I'll say they are films I can watch repeatedly:

1960s: From Russia With Love
1970s: Star Wars
1980s: Raiders of the Lost Ark
1990s: Fight Club
2000s: Lord of the Rings (so far)

[sarcastro]

20's- The General. Though I must admit I've only see 6 or 7 films from that decade.

30's- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

40's- Citizen Kane.

50's- Vertigo. This was a difficult call. A lot of good movies were made in this decade. I could just as easily have said On the Waterfront or Ikiru, but for right now I'll go with this.

60's- 8 1/2. Maybe the greatest movie of all time.

70's- The Godfather.

80's- Crimes and Misdemeanors. What can I say. I thought it was better then Amadeus.

90's- Red, from the Three Colors Trilogy.

00's- Mullholland Drive.

[soul man]

The problem I had was that most of the movies I've seen have been from the last 20 years or so. That made the 90's especially hard with:
L.A. Confidential
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
Fight Club
Se7en
As good as it gets (one of the best comedies ever)
etc.

I retract my vote for the 2000's though. From the LOTR series to Kill Bill parts 1 & 2. I love those movies. Also The Passion is excellent, as was said, regardless of faith.

[soul man]

oh for the 90's I just happened to forget AMERICAN BEAUTY, possibly THE best dark comedy of all time. Yay for Kevin Spacey.

On a seperate topic, (thinking of se7en) what are your favorite twist endings in movies as well?

[SonofVader]

As a student of film, I'm certainly not going to try to pick the single best movies out of any decade. However, I thought it interesting that no one has picked Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Chinatown, most of Tim Burton's works (I saw a Nightmare Before Christmas on there, but no Big Fish, Batman, Edward Scissorhands or Ed Wood on here), Amelie, Its a Wonderful Life, Singin' in the Rain (or musicals for that matter... An American in Paris, Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, West Side Story, Moulin Rogue, South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut), Sonny Chiba films (hah, kinda a pipe dream for me), Rick-O (another one), Rocky/ Blair Witch Project (helloooo, Independant Film Scene), Schindler's List, Sergio Leone's films, Charlie Kaufman's films, M Night Shymalan's films, Life is Beautiful, Princess Bride, and a slew of others I'll mention in a second.

Originally posted by Maniac_nmt
<Snip> Shrek 1 and 2 for making us take an animated movie seriously

You should change that "us" to "me." Not only have animated films been revered in the states (as an art form, nonetheless), but overseas its considered a very legitimate form of filmmaking barely explored in the US beyond its financial gain. A gentleman by the name of Miyazaki is one of the few people to help explore anime in the US, but his films (Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Monoke, and Spirited Away, last year's Oscar winner) have all helped to establish cartoons as a legit art form, and anime as something more than cartoons in the US. The Triplets of Belleville, a French Cartoon, is certainly one of the greatest pieces of work of the past few years. And Pixar helped to establish animation as a legit art form. Toy Story received better reviews and is held in higher regard than most movies who surround it within a year. Finding Nemo had a more than legitimate shot at being nominated for best film (not just best animated film), and there are some conspiracy theorists that have pointed out Finding Nemo was originally nominated in both, then moved out of the way by major producer who was rather upset that their film wasn't nominated, but Pixar's was (the dual nomination would have given Triplets of Belleville a better shot at the Oscar as well... just like Life is Beautiful opened up the doors for Central Station and Tango to have a much better shot at winning best foreign film in 99). Further, films such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (previously mentioned), Beauty and the Beast (previously mentioned) and Fantasia (which I think has been touched on) are all films that certainly aren't considered "Cartoons," but instead, art. Certainly, they're revered as some of the most important movies of the past century, that's for sure.

Shrek 1 and 2 merely gave the general American teenage and adult audience something to laugh at in cartoon form, along with providing an option to Disney/ Pixar. Two great, great films, yes (2 movies that I actually will watch at a moments notice), but certainly not groundbreaking in any way, and certainly not the pinnacle of cartoon animation (though they are two of the best CG Cartoons movies ever... right there with Finding Nemo and Toy Stories 1 & 2, and right ahead of Monsters Inc).

[SonofVader]

Totally left of the Apu trilogy as well, along with Jim Jarmusch's works, and I don't think I've seen anything by John Ford on this list.

[ohcysp]

Originally posted by soul man
oh for the 90's I just happened to forget AMERICAN BEAUTY, possibly THE best dark comedy of all time. Yay for Kevin Spacey.

On a seperate topic, (thinking of se7en) what are your favorite twist endings in movies as well? [i]

Lets see good twist endings...
00's- Memento, the Ring, Donnie Darko,
90's- 12 Monkeys, Se7en(of course), Fight Club, Strange Days, Usual Suspects, Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Primal Fear...(the 90's were all ablout the suprise ending)
80's- Empire Strikes Back, Blade Runner...
70's- The Exorcist, Being There...
60's- Psycho, 2001...

There are way to many. This is why I can never have a simple "My favorite movie is" answer.

[SonofVader]

Oh, I just noticed a serious lack of Kubrick on this list, too! ohcysp's 2001 comment brought it to the front of my mind. Another excellent director (and I hate 2001, but its important as anything in film) who continually reinvented film.

[ohcysp]

Originally posted by SonofVader
Oh, I just noticed a serious lack of Kubrick on this list, too! ohcysp's 2001 comment brought it to the front of my mind. Another excellent director (and I hate 2001, but its important as anything in film) who continually reinvented film.



On the 1st page of this thread I listed about 5 of his movies under my original picks. He is my 2nd all time favorite director, behind Hitchcock.

Eyes Wide Shut
Full Metal Jacket
The Shining
Clockwork Orange, A
2001: A Space Odyssey
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Lolita
Spartacus

[skeevo666]

20's -Wings
(Honorable mention to: Anything by Chaplin, Roach, Lloyd or Sennett)


30's - The Adventures of Robin Hood
(Honorable mention to: King Kong, A Night at the Opera)


40's - The Best Years of Our Lives
(Honorable mention to: Citizen Kane, The Grapes of Wrath)


50's - Them!
(Honorable mention to: Rebel Without a Cause, The Day the Earth Stood Still)


60's - It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
(Honorable mention to: Planet of the Apes, Lawrence of Arabia)


70's - Star Wars
(Honorable mention to: Silent Running, Patton)


80's - The Empire Strikes Back
(Honorable mention to: The Razor's Edge, Das Boot)


90's - Saving Private Ryan
(Honorable mention to: The Blair Witch Project, Ed Wood)


00's - The Lord of the Rings
(Honorable mention to: Super Troopers, Troy)




I may not know art, but I know what I like . . .

;)
:cool:
:)

[Maniac_nmt]

no actually, I shouldn't change it to 'me'. Shrek 1 and 2 have finally broken through to a large movie audience. The CG is amazing, and almost all of the humor is geared towards adults.

I have no problems with cartoon movies. Anime ones yes, because they ####, they really really do ####, but not cartoons in general.

[CapSpalding]

Seems like I'm not the only person here who obsessively watches Turner Classic Movies. There have been some excellent nominations thus far. My 2 cents:

20's: Metropolis. The General is a close second.

30's: Duck Soup. A Pitch-perfect comedy.

40's: Since everyone is already mentioning Citizen Kane, I'll pick The Magnificent Ambersons, even with the studio-butchered ending.

50's: Seven Samurai-Whoever said that Kurosawa owned this decade was dead on.

60's: Psycho. Pitch-perfect thriller. Dr. Strangelove is a photo-finish second.

70's: A Clockwork Orange.

80's: The King of Comedy. Criminally underrated Scorsese film.

90's: Fight Club. A geek favorite, but complex and remarkably structured.

00's: Too early to tell, but so far Memento.

[Kurenai]

Maniac_nmt, no offense to you, but I have found that most people who have that opinion have only seen worst of what anime has to offer. I feel really sorry for people who's introduction was "Ninja Scroll" and its like.

If you want to see that anime can truely be a moving art form, get a remastered copy of "Grave of the Fireflies." Watch it subtitled, hopefully you won't condemn anime anymore.

[Maniac_nmt]

meh, and I've also seen some of the supposed best too, such as Akira.

Anime just doesn't do it for, and I highly doubt there ever will be one I can care for.

[Kurenai]

Actually, i wouldn't rate Akira too highly either.

[Nighthawk]

60's- Planet of the Apes
70's- Star Wars
80's- Raiders of the Lost Ark
90's- Pulp Fiction
00's- (so far) Lord of the Rings

[Kurenai]

Here are some of my favorite anime movies:

Castle of Cagliostro (1979) - One of the best action/comedies of all time. Wonderfully done chase scenes. Characters that you actually worry about. One of the Best

Grave of the Fireflies (1988) - Drama/War movie about a brother and a sister trying to survive by themselves during WWII and the firebombing of Tokyo. Truely touching, but a very difficult movie to watch and not get emotionally drained.

Perfect Blue (1997) Suspense/Thriller - Hitchcock would be proud. Satoshi Kon's directorial debut and his new movies are just as good, if not better (Millennium Actress (2001) and Tokyo Godfathers (2003))

Memories (1996) - A movie with three distinct segments, the first, "Magnetic Rose" wonderfully animated sci-fi drama. A salvage crew discovers a old space station, inhabited by one woman's hopes and dreams. Second, "Stink Bomb" a comedy with a dark outlook, but done in a very amusing way: A bungiling lab assistant accidentaly turns himself into a biological weapon. Finally "Cannon Fodder." A Political satire piece, in which a family goes through the daily grind in a world when the only industry is war, but no one really sees the outcome of it.

Mononoke Hime - Known as "Princess Mononoke" here (which I say is a poor translation. it make it sound like 'Mononoke' is her name, but it actually roughly translates as 'spirit'. better titles would have been "Princess of the Mononoke" or even "Spirit Princess", but i degress) Very well done fantasy. One young man goes on a journey to find the truth of why a beast came to his village, finds quite a bit more than he thought. Hayao Miyazaki's directing is great as usual, but this is by far the best soundtrack from Joe Hisaishi. If you don't like the plot, at least listen to the music.

Porco Rosso (Adventure/comedy) another great work from Miyazaki, but one many people haven't seen. A pilot living around the adriatic sea in the '30s, fighting pirates, rescuing madiens. Great fun. Oh.. and he accidentaly got turned into a pig. (With the great line "I'd rather be a pig than a facist")

[ASpaceBoyDream]

Kurenai, no "My Neighbor Totoro"?

[bobw2829]

Decades with multiple listings are listed in order, starting with the best from that decade.

20’s – Nosferatu
30’s – Bride of Frankenstein (horror at its best)
40’s – Citizen Kane
50’s – Ben-Hur
60’s – 2001: A Space Odyssey
70’s – Clockwork Orange, Jaws, Apocalypse Now, Taxi Driver, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
80’s – Gandhi, Raging Bull
90’s – Se7en, Goodfellas, The Matrix, Saving Private Ryan, Sling Blade, Forrest Gump, JFK
00’s – The Pianist

No offence to you Pulp Fiction fans, but Quentin Tarantino is the most overrated director ever. To me, Kubrick is the master of the silver screen.

[Kurenai]

ALL of Miyazaki's movies are excellent, but I only wanted to list my personal favorites.

Movies he has directed:

1979: Castle of Cagliostro
1984: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
1986: Laputa, Castle in the Sky
1988: My Neighbor Totoro
1989: Kiki's Delivery Service
1992: Porco rosso
1997: Mononoke Hime
2001: Spirited Away
And a new one coming out this year, "Howl's Moving Castle".

63 years old, and still going strong.

[Eric Rage]

I thoroughly enjoyed "Spirited Away" as a fairy tale-ish, beautifully drawn, imaginative piece of animation, but I've heard it has serious social undertones for the Japanese. Can anyone shed some light on this for a poor gaijin who wants to get it?

[NotYou]

I know a thread for Best Movies is completely the wrong place
for this question, but anyone watch Starship Troopers 2 yet?

[Maniac_nmt]

another good one from the 80s

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

This is certainly Steve Martin's best movie. The seamless blending of old 1930s black and white films in with the modern action and acting is awesome. It really is a stitch. "What are you doing?" "Adjusting your breasts. When you fainted they fell all out of whack." "Oh, thank you."

Young Frankenstein

Mel Brooks best commedy. The Black and White film is a great spoof of old horror films. "A Riot, is an ungly 'ting...Und I think it's just about #### time dat we had one!"

[NotYou]

I do like the phrase:
"Let's all drink some very sexy wine."
from Sherlock Holmes' Younger Smarter Brother, too.

[SonofVader]

Originally posted by Maniac_nmt
no actually, I shouldn't change it to 'me'. Shrek 1 and 2 have finally broken through to a large movie audience. The CG is amazing, and almost all of the humor is geared towards adults.

I have no problems with cartoon movies. Anime ones yes, because they ####, they really really do ####, but not cartoons in general.

Everything you just said was a "me" statement, so thank you for agreeing with me with your statements, even if you are going to be stubborn and say you disagree.

Now, on to the factual inaccuracies within your few statements. Actually, Toy Story 1 did it first, as far as CGI goes. Excellently done. As far as Shrek's adult humor? I think not. Shrek 1 was full of fart jokes and jabs at Disney... jokes even some of the youngest of us can appreciate. They're very funny, yes, but even we can appreciate them. Fanatasia was quite a success, and it came out years ago, and it is mainly geared towards artfully minded adults or children with wild imaginations. If you want to talk about really adult humor, Looney Toons did it first. But I digress...

Further, Shrek 1 and 2 were not the movies that opened the doors, like you claimed. A Bug's Life, Toy Story 1 and 2 and Monsters, Inc came out at either the same time or previously. Now, if Shrek 1 affected you more than the rest of these, then you're making a "me" statement. But the reviews and acclaim the other 4 movies recieved does not mean the general population agrees with you. Shrek 1 may have been funnier to some, or told better elements of a story they wanted to hear, but that's personal preference, not general consensus. I was telling you that you were making a personal preference statement, and thus should be using "me."

Additionally, Shrek 2 came out after Finding Nemo. Which had, arguably, much better CGI, even with a year's less innovation. And it was an amazing movie (I've already talked enough about it). Shrek 2 didn't break a single barrier that wasn't already broken many times over by Pixar.

As far as saying anime isn't good... it shows how small you want to keep your own world. That's fine. But, if you want to, there are people here who will help you to see a whole new world of anime... one where its an art form, and not just sci-fi battles.

And you haven't shown your views of French or Canadian animation either, but I'll bet they're just as closed off. Which is fine. You reserve that right. Just don't lump the rest of the population into your statements... especially when they're incorrect.

[Maniac_nmt]

hmm... I love it when open minded people say something about how if you don't share their opinion you're close minded. Open minded would mean that I don't have to agree with, nor am I incorrect with not agreeing with you.

Toy Story 1 and 2 did open the CGI market, they did not go over like Shrek 1 and 2. Shrek 2 is now second only to Spiderman for opening weekend, and will be one of the top all time grossing movies. Something neither of Pixars films did. So yes, I would say it does appear to be that the two films have changed the opinion on CGI and animated movies.

It did also show that a non Disney animated film could suceed in America.

No where did I say they affected 'me' more, so thank your very much but your point fails.

It's rather funny to see feeble attempts to skew what I say, thanks for the laugh.

[JayThor]

30's- Stagecoach
40's- Fort Apache/She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
50's- The Quiet Man
60's- Planet of the Apes
70's- Star Wars (hon. mention to Jaws)
80's- Raiders of the Lost Ark
90's- Jurassic Park
00's- Lord of the Rings Trilogy (hon. mention to Gladiator)

[Dr. Morbius]

40s: Casablanca
50s: Ben Hur
60s: El Dorado
70s: Star Wars
80s: Empire Strikes Back
90s: Forrest Gump
00s: Lord of the Rings - Return of the King