The IMDB 250

[Hanley!]

Film #008: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly


First time viewing?
Yes

Thoughts:
This one started a little slow, and I was worried my attention would start to slip. But the music is so incredible right from the start that it kept me engaged. By the time Angel Eyes had finished his introduction, I was fully invested. The film was shot brilliantly too. One shot in particular stuck with me: Angel Eyes silhouetted in the doorway during his entrance.

It was interesting watching a film featuring three different anti-heroes at war, all of whom are strong characters and legitimate threats to the others. I was expecting Tuco to be portrayed as more pathetic, and was pleasantly surprised when he was revealed to be as dangerous as his rivals.

The film was slow paced, but for all the right reasons. It wasn't done for the sake of it; there were a lot of establishing shots and scenes that played out slowly to build tension. The director knew just how to milk every last drop of tension out of a situation, but without overdoing it. Particularly in the brilliant final 30 minutes. On those last 30 minutes, I have to restate how good the music is here. The Ecstasy of Gold is one of the best uses of music I can think of from a film.

The civil war backdrop makes for a nice bit of detail, but it can get a bit intrusive. The sequence with the bridge seemed unnecessary. It wasn't wholly un-enjoyable, but you could have lifted it right out of the movie. It did feel like it was padding the film's length a little. But that's the only real problem I had with the film, and it's not a major one.

Personal Rating: 8/10

Does it belong on this list?
Yes. Phenomenal music and direction. And a simple yet captivating story. I'd recommend this to just about anyone.

[EmperorWu]

^ Hell yeah! I couldn't agree more with everything you said. One of my all time favorite movies, glad you enjoyed it.

I have to say I'm kind of surprised at how many of these movies you haven't seen. I figured you would be well versed in the classics, well by the common man's standard.

[Hanley!]

@Matteo Cheers for the recommendations. It'll take me a long time to get around to these (I have other films I'm looking to watch soon in addition to this list), but I may get around to them eventually.

^ Hell yeah! I couldn't agree more with everything you said. One of my all time favorite movies, glad you enjoyed it.

I have to say I'm kind of surprised at how many of these movies you haven't seen. I figured you would be well versed in the classics, well by the common man's standard.

The top ten might not be the best indicator, but I had seen about 100 of these films before I started this thread. @Kirbi has seen more, but then she's more knowledgeable on film than anyone I know.

I've seen most of 10 through 20 already. Basically everything except Seven Samurai, though (unfortunately) I reckon I'll have to rewatch Forrest Gump because I haven't seen it since I was a kid and don't remember much of it.

It's probably fair to say that I've yet to see a lot of classics from before the 1990s. But fixing that is part of the point of this whole exercise.

[Hanley!]

Film #009: The Return of the King


First time viewing?
I saw this in the cinema years ago

Thoughts:
This film is overrated. I appreciate the Lord of the Rings trilogy as a whole, and this is even a good film in isolation. But it's easily the weakest of the three films. It's the one that ended up receiving all the Academy Awards, seemingly because the academy waited until the trilogy was finished before recogning its contributions to the industry.

It's weirdly paced for one thing, with the big criticism being that the film ends way too many bloody times. The climax was underwhelming, which is a fault that the film picked up from its source material and therefore cannot be judged too harshly for. And everything else that the film did had already been done by the previous two films

It was still a good film though. The visual effects are impressive, everything looks spectacular, the fight scenes are epic and most of the performances are enjoyable. I'm not saying that people should avoid this. If your watching the trilogy, by all means watch the last installment too. Just don't expect it to be as good as the previous ones.

Personal Rating: 6.5/10

Does it belong on this list?
No. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the best ever made, but as an individual film, this does not rank among the best ever. I'd put one (or both) of the others on the list, but not this one.

[Hanley!]

Film #010: Fight Club


First time viewing?
I saw this the year it came out, but forgot much of it. I may have missed the start. This is my second viewing.

Thoughts:
I used to think this was one of the most overrated films I had ever seen. The first time I watched it, I didn't see what the big deal was. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it quite a bit more than I was expecting on second viewing. Though I still think it's probably overrated by many.

The start of this film was pretty interesting. The idea of going to support groups for some kind of emotional release is intriguing. I think it's possible I missed the start of the film the first time I watched it, as I didn't remember this at all. This concept could have been a whole film, but it was used to good effect here to show us how fucked up the narrator and Marla really are.

The introduction of Tyler Durden and the beginning of the fight club was pretty cool. And I have to say the film probably peaked here. Project Mayhem seemed like escalation for the sake of escalation. It could have been done more naturally within the confines of the fight club idea. It almost starts to feel like a different film in the second half. I appreciate that this is probably the way things are done in the book too, but it still bugged me a little.

I don't know what to think about the twist. In some ways it feels quite clever. Marla's scenes are done really well and an observant viewer could start to piece together the twist based on these scenes, and Helena Bonham Carter's performance. But when Durden and the narrator are interacting with the rest of the fight club (or their recruits from Project Mayhem), the twist stops making sense. You have to wonder what the fuck these recruits were seeing or hearing in the car crash scene and others like it.

I guess that's my biggest problem with Fight Club in general: it's not as clever as it wants to be. The whole film reeks of having some kind of message about society, but it was apparently vague enough that it managed to inspire real life fight clubs, accidentally convincing some people that this was actually a good idea. And the twist only really works if you concentrate on some scenes and ignore others.

The performances were really good without a doubt. Some of the dialogue was really sharp, and the film was well directed. Brad Pitt likely gave his most iconic performance in this film. A lot of stuff in this film really worked, particularly at the time. And it's definitely a 'cool' film, if that makes sense. It's always engaging on a superficial level and it's exactly the kind of film that almost every teenage boy is going absolutely love. I'm not one of those that thinks this film sucks. Not by any means. It's entertaining basically from start to finish. It's just not the masterpiece that some people make it out to be.

Personal Rating: 7/10

Does it belong on this list?
Because of some of the iconic performances and dialogue, I'm tempted to say yes, but ultimately I think the film is too flawed and lacking in polish to be among the best of all time. Definitely worth a watch though.

[The Legend]

I would say that Fight Club is probably overrated to be 10th on this list, but if you are talking about 250 movies, I would definitely say I'd think it'd belong there just from the simple fact that 250 movies is a huge list. It's really not hard to make it on a list of that many.

[Hanley!]

Film #011: The Fellowship of the Ring


First time viewing?
I saw this in the cinema and another couple of times on DVD since.

Thoughts:
This, to me, is the best of the Lord of the Rings movies. It introduces us to the world and does a great job of it. Everything looks amazing, the soundtrack is immense and the characters are immediately engaging. We are introduced to more and more unmemorable or extraneous characters as the series goes on, but everyone here is of interest. The original Fellowship is a really fun group, and the film probably benefits from having so many of the major characters in one place.

I really loved this the first time I saw it. The amazing scenery and the epic soundtrack made this a particularly good cinema experience. It made some clever changes from the book too. My Dad used to complain about Bombadil being left out of the film, but I thought he would have undermined the power of the ring at that stage in the trilogy (though it might have been cool to work him in somewhere in the second film). Moving Boromir's death to the end of the first film was a great move too.

This is just a lot of fun, and comes off very much as the beginning of something special. It's hard not to get excited watching this film. I've watched it more than the others, because it's just easier to get into.

Personal Rating: 8/10

Does it belong on this list?
Yes. The trilogy deserves its iconic status and this is the one that started it all off, and did so with style.

[Hanley!]

Film #012: The Empire Strikes Back


First time viewing?
Nope. I've seen this a couple of times.

Thoughts:
This is a great film. It's the best of the Star Wars films for sure. The first film is also excellent, but only those two should really be considered great. This film features many of the most iconic Star Wars moments, and one of the best endings to any film that I've seen. I'm a sucker for good trilogies, and this is probably the best part two to a film trilogy that I've seen. It does exactly what the middle film should do: takes the heroes to their lowest point, make you fear for their safety, yet leaves them with a sliver of hope and raises the stakes for the next film.

People who haven't seen the Star Wars films (at least the original trilogy), might be tempted to dismiss them as mindless blockbusters, thanks to their pop culture status and the terrible reputation of the equally terrible prequel films. But Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back are genuinely well written films, that captured the public's imagination for good reason.

The cast of characters was brilliant. Princess Leia was a strong female character. Han Solo and Lando Calrissian were charming as hell. Yoda completely subverted people's expectations of the force and made the films a lot more interesting (then they made him light saber battle in Attack of the Clones ... gah!). Luke was a more-than-serviceable audience insert character. And Vader is one of the greatest villains in cinema history.

The soundtrack to these films is brilliant, the visuals work well even today and the lack of dependence on green screen really gives the film a lot more energy than the prequels. And the action is better here than in any other Star Wars film or indeed most films I've seen. The light saber battle between Luke and Vader isn't about impressive gymnastic feats: instead it tells an actual story. Luke hits out at Vader with anger; he's not always graceful and he's more direct. Vader's body language, on the other hand, makes it clear he's not fighting to kill. He's toying with Luke.

It's not quite a perfect film. There's a timeline plot hole that's hard to ignore once you've first noticed it. But it's brilliant nonetheless. It deserves all the hype and then some. It's up there with the best fantasy I've seen on film.

Personal Rating: 9/10

Does it belong on this list?
Without a doubt.

[Hanley!]

Film #013: Forrest Gump


First time viewing?
Again, I saw this one as a kid but couldn't remember it very well. I just remember that I didn't get it at the time. Thankfully after watching it earlier this week ...

Thoughts:
... I still don't get it. Which at least means my younger self had relatively decent taste when it came to these things. Given my reputation for hating on things, I've not done much of it so far. I've liked every film except the Godfather films up until this point, but that changes now. I don't really understand who this film is supposed to appeal to. It's all over the place tonally. There are adult scenes, but it feels incredibly juvenile. What was the target audience for this film?

I also don't really understand what the point or message of the film was. What were they trying to do? If they were trying to explore tragedies through the lens of someone innocent who couldn't fully understand them, that's an interesting idea. One that I've seen done well elsewhere. But it's unclear just how naive/dumb Forrest actually is and his innocence isn't used to generate any real level of insight into these tragedies. It's more commonly played for laughs, and I just wasn't laughing.

And how are we supposed to feel about what's happening? Is Forrest's relationship with Jenny supposed to make us uncomfortable or are we supposed to be happy for him? What about when he's left to raise a young boy on his own at the end of the film? Are we supposed to be happy that they have each other, or worry about Forrest's capabilities as a lone guardian?

The dialogue is cringe-worthy much of the time. The characters often don't act like real people. There's no real direction to the plot, different stuff just keeps happening with Jenny bouncing in and out constantly. I thought the way they worked Forrest into historical events wasn't particularly clever. It just seemed a bit pointless and silly.

The film wasn't all bad though. There were a handful of good performances. Tom Hanks performance probably wasn't worthy of the Oscar he won, but he wasn't bad. And the film at least wasn't boring. It moved along at pace and kept my attention, though it was never able to win me over. There are a couple of decent emotional moments too, though most of the time the emotional stuff is so manipulative and heavy-handed that it's hard to take it seriously.

Personal Rating: 4/10

Does it belong on this list?
No. I'm with Vaderbomb on this one. This film is a lie.

[Str8Shooter]

Safe to say Steve's life is in fact.. not like a box of chocolates.

[Hanley!]

Safe to say Steve's life is in fact.. not like a box of chocolates.

For starters when I have chocolates there's always a list of the flavours in each of them ... so I do know what I'm going to get.

I thought the movie sucked pretty hard. Easy to watch, difficult to enjoy. Would be curious to see if anyone here has a differing view point. Maybe they could shed some light on what people like about this one.

[Everlong]

Pffft Forrest Gump is a damn classic. Haters gon hate

[UTK]

I don't know what to think about the twist. In some ways it feels quite clever. Marla's scenes are done really well and an observant viewer could start to piece together the twist based on these scenes, and Helena Bonham Carter's performance. But when Durden and the narrator are interacting with the rest of the fight club (or their recruits from Project Mayhem), the twist stops making sense. You have to wonder what the fuck these recruits were seeing or hearing in the car crash scene and others like it. .

The twist never really makes sense at all. That's why I hate it so much. The only reason it's so shocking and mind-blowing is because it's literally impossible. Nothing really clever about it.

[Hanley!]

Pffft Forrest Gump is a damn classic. Haters gon hate

That's not good enough, man. I demand answers! Why is this good?

[Ali]

Okay, here are some reasons why I personally like Forrest Gump.

First, I'll completely admit that I love the Soundtrack. The music in this film is just great.

Second, I do like the character of Forrest. I like that he's so simple, black-and-white, right-and-wrong. He does what he's told to the best of his ability, but that's not always what makes him happy. I think a lot of reasons that the movie feels juvenile is that, in many ways, Forrest is juvenile. We're seeing the world through his point of view. Not just tragedies, but triumphs. The highs and lows, the ups and downs, all through the eyes of someone who really doesn't have the best grasp of the world around him. I think the point you bring up about not knowing how to feel at the end is the point. We don't know how to feel because Forrest himself is conflicted. He is happy he has his son, but he's also worried he might not be the best caretaker because of his lack of intelligence. He's self-aware about that, which is refreshing.

At the end of the day, to me, Forrest Gump is a simple pleasure about simplicity. Forrest's viewpoint throughout the events he's experienced is just X is right and Y is wrong. I think a lot of the analysis of this movie can be summed up with his cross-country running fervor. He just felt like running, so he ran. It was all of the people surrounding him that were trying to figure out more reasons behind it, and eventually try and make their own. But Forrest has no answers to any big questions of life, he just does what he feels. It does disappoint some of his followers when he just stops and goes home, without imparting any real, great wisdom, but he never set out to do that. Just like this movie doesn't have any deep, supreme message. It's just a fun, entertaining watch for me.

And that's all I have to say about that.

[Everlong]

Pffft Forrest Gump is a damn classic. Haters gon hate

That's not good enough, man. I demand answers! Why is this good?

It's just a really charming movie, from the characters to the writing to the music. I'm not going to argue that it deserved to win best picture that year or anything, but it's just a fun movie. So many quotable lines.

[Kirbi]

I'm so very with Steve on this. I think it's gonna be one of those things where I really never do see the appeal. I didn't find it remotely charming, and found it actively off-putting at some points - any appearance of sexual activity between he and Jenny had more than a whiff of sexual assault to it.

I am left with the impression that Forrest Gump is basically crap Amélie .

[EmperorWu]

...

[Hanley!]

Film #014: Inception


First time viewing?
I saw this just the once, when it was first released

Thoughts:
Much like many of Nolan's films, Inception tends to be either overpraised or overly criticized. There is no middle ground with this man, apparently. I actually liked this film a lot, and I've liked most of his films for that matter. But I'm not one of those who deifies the man. Though I won't have the opportunity to really rip on him until we get to The Dark Knight Rises.

Lets start out with the more negative elements of this film. It was possibly longer than warranted, though I don't remember it actually dragging. But the script certainly could have been tighter. Nolan also frequently has a problem creating deep characters, and while I thought he did a good job with some of the characters from this film, the cast was too large and some of these characters were very one-dimensional. One of these was Ellen Page's character, and that brings me to my final criticism of the film: there's too much exposition. This was a somewhat complicated concept, so Nolan spent quite a lot of time explaining it to the audience. But he did it in the simplest way possible.

Other than that though, my experience with the film was almost entirely positive. I thought the Inception concept was really interesting, and the world that Nolan created here was an enticing one. There were a lot of little details that added to the initial premise. The totems were an interesting idea. The difference in the passage of time between dream levels was cool and made for fun action sequences. The idea to make it a heist movie was something that I really enjoyed. I thought the heist concept added a lot of pace and tension to the film.

Then there was the story between Cobb and his wife Mal. I thought Cobb was one of Nolan's better protagonists. And the story of Mal killing herself because she was convinced she was dreaming was really moving. Which made Mal even more terrifying when she appeared later in the dream world. DiCaprio was brilliant in his performance in this film, but Marion Cotillard might have been even better.

I'm not going to lie though, I've always been a bit of a sucker for ambiguous films that provoke discussion and allow multiple interpretations. Provided they don't come off as contrived or phony, which can regularly be the case.

Personal Rating: 7.5/10

Does it belong on this list?
This might be kinda controversial actually, but I think it probably does. This was both an ambitious project and an entertaining film. It was a creative idea executed pretty well during an era where blockbusters were striving to be unremarkable. It's not a favourite of mine, but I did think it was very good.

[Hanley!]

I'll try to get more of these up tomorrow, to avoid Wu's wrath.