Thread: The Prestige's Prestigious films to immerse you

Thanks for the reviews Prestige not a big fan of Wolf Creek sorry.
I watched Scarface again yesterday

Get your chiaroscuro out

I love Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Layer Cake. It cracks me up a little how much some of you guys from across the pond bash Guy Ritchie. He's an excellent film maker and I am very happy that RocknRolla will be coming here in October.

Layer Cake was quite good as well but don't you guys think that if it wasn't for Ritchie that Layer Cake wouldn't have been possible? He was Guy Ritchie's producer and close friend. Don't you think it was probably Ritchie that helped him make a film like that? I do.

Ok so I lack the creative wit of a Joss Whedon or that stripper bird turned screen writer, but give me cred for giving it a go, eh? As i'm sure you're all well aware by now, i'm conducting my very own 'Greatest Films Ever Made' list and i'm trying to make it as comprehensive as I possibly can.

This was partly inspired by fellow Brit Pyro's 'Visual Pleasures' list and some other MoFo similarly themed thread.

As you can see, 'm taking this VERY seriously and i've been preparing for about 3 days now. I've thought long and hard about why so so film deserves it's spot and which ones belong in the top 50, etc. I've tried to look at the film for what it is what it's aims, ambition and whether or not it's successful at achieving the goals it sets out to do. I'ma do about 10 titles a day. Not too exhausting but lengthy enough to hopefully engage you all.

Anyways, I should stop chatting horses bollocks and get on with the damn thing. Bare in mind this is MY opinion and I don't speak (or type for those who want to be literal) for anybody else. So shall we commence? And here..we...go!

100: Sin City (Robert Rodriguez, 2005)



Robert Rodriguez's 2nd best film caught me by surprise. I had never heard of the the Sin City graphic novels and wasn't even that hyped for this when it first came out in the cinema. However, I was pleasantly surprised by just how imaginative, violent and fun this film was.

The idea of combining colours with black and white photography had been done before in 1997's Pleasantville. However, it had never been done so well and it definitely served Frank Miller's novel adaptation really well. It's an almost traditional film noir yet with that comic twist that really gives Sin City's it's edge. The standout in the ensemble cast is clearly Mickey Rourke's Marv. A hulking neanderthal who's beast-like looks belies a heroic figure. Great fun.

99: Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993)



I must have been something like 8 when this film came out. I never got to see it in the cinemas, but boy did I not care at the time. This is one epic family film and despite the fact that i'm a little bit of a detractor of Spielberg, the man conjured up something we had never really seen before at that time. Something...immersive...man I love that word

The special and creature effects were OUTSTANDING. The late great Stan Winston truly made his mark here and writing about this film definately makes me miss that creative man even more. An interesting theme about the consequences of messing with nature and yadda yadda yadda. At the age of 8, these themes are a lot more profound than they may seem when a person is older, trust me. One of Spielberg's best blockbusters.

98: X-MEN 2 (Bryan Singer, 2003)



I think it's safe to say that Bryan Singer raised the bar as far as comic book sequels goes in this fantastic (and best) installment of the X-Men trilogy . The film has a good 30 mins on it's predecessor, and you really wouldn''t think so. The witty script is even sharper and the spectacle more dazzling than even before with Hugh Jackman's popular Wolverine getting the best lines and the most screen time.

But this is Singer's film, and the talented director makes good on his hints in the first film. He hinted at a real clash between the mutants and humans, and boy did he give it to us. The subtext or racism and prejudice is even more apparent here than it was in the first one, and one of many themes to raise this film from very good to GREAT.

97: Scum (Alan Clarke, 1979)



Not a lot can be said for Alan Clark's vicious and honest film, except that while really well executed in it's direction, it's really not for the faint of heart. Ray Winstone's Carling is the main 'daddy' in this film and it's fair to say that his performance probably adds a full star to it. All I can say is that this film is packed with frequent moments of brutality, but at the same time, it's a compelling piece of drama.

96: The Faculty (Robert Rodriguez, 1998)



Ok, this is gonna sound very strange. Maybe even stranger than seeing a male dressed up in female nurse gear and with clown make up smeared all over his face. But yes, Josh Hartnett was ICONIC in this film. There, I said it. This is my opinion of obviously but I really think that the Zeke character was brilliant. I don't know how but Josh Hartnett must've brought some charisma odor from somewhere because he has since been as bland as a school corridor since.

But yeah, Kevin Williamson's sharp and witty script really helps raise this generic sci-fi/horror thriller to great. It's a cult classic and the combination of The Breakfast Club meets Invasions Of a Body Snatcher concept really makes this film appear fresh. The group dynamics work and theres some brilliant exchange between the characters. Yes, it's silly stuff and the theme of kids having to rely on drugs to get them out of trouble may raise some eyebrows, but I still think it's Rodriguez's best film...and his most underrated.

95: Superman: The Movie (Richard Donner, 1978)



I am NOT a fan of Superman at all. In fact, i'd go as far as to say I dislike the character a lot. HOWEVER, I can give credit to where credit is due and in this case, the credit is due to Richard Donner's ambitious and epic origin take on the 'Man Of Steel'. This is the film that basically set the template for Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and featured a wonderful performance by the late Christopher Reeve.

For it's time, the special effects were pretty stunning. It also gets credit for being one of the first 'superhero' flicks to be taken seriously.

94: London To Brighton (Paul Andrew Williams, 2006)



I really liked Paul Andrew William's debut. It was fresh and something different. But I find myself rarely watching it because it's just so nasty. The film deals with underage prostitution, paedophilia, gangsters, some awful 'sex' sequences, people being cut and left to bled. You name it, this film is an exercise in brutality.

There are moments of beautiful cinematography yet it's contrasted with the most disturbing sequence. A little known film to watch assuming you can stomach it.

93: Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005)



Forget the whole homosexual theme that the film is generally known for. This film is truly about man's need for male companionship. At least that what it seemed to be saying to me. That subtext is so strong that I almost found the homosexuality aspect to be irrelevant. Ang Lee clearly went out of his way to make sure every shot composition was of equal importance. A good love drama with a revelationary turn by Heath Ledger.

92: The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, 1978)



This film isn't very high on my list for a reason. Yes, I do think there theres an undertone of racism in the vietcong scenes, and I think such a scene justifies why I would think such a thing. The sad part is the film is so tragic and emotionally compelling in all it's other areas that I really couldn't just ignore it.

Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken give arguably the best performances of their career. And DeNiro's signature line, 'this is this!' still has me thinking about the meaning of his rather arkward outburst. Michael Cimino is not interested in the war but rather the repurcussions that war has on individuals and how they respond. I think I even cried when i watched this film when you know who dies at the end.

91: Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006)



I'm not even a big Bond fan, but one has to appreciate the risk and reinvention they took with this. It was risky hiring an actor who wasn't coventionally attractive to the female eye, yet, Daniel Craig's Bond is up there with Sean Connery as a man who's as charming as he is violent. You can feel the influence of the Bourne franchise is Bond's recent outing, and that's not a bad thing at all.

However, as great as Daniel Craig is, I have to give a heads up to Eva Green. France's finest had me fooled with her English accent. I honestly thought she was a Brit until I read that she was actually french. Her performance is also the best out of any Bond bird i've seen and I generally felt sad when you know what happened to her.

Anyways, standout scene has to be the torturing of Bond and his privates! As painful as that scene looked, Daniel Craig had me in fits of laughter with THAT line. Probably the best Bond film thus far.

90: Dressed To Kill (Brian DePalma, 1980)



Believe it or not, but Brian DePalma was once an exciting director who was apart of the new breed of cinema with the likes of Scorsese, Spielberg, Coppola, etc. This film, despite a slight misogynistic undertone to it, was the film that defined him. Yes, it borrows heavily from Hitchcock to say the least, but it's still a damn fine thriller from a man who makes no secret of his love for Hitchcock's work. A creepy performance by Sir Michael Caine doesn't hurt it either. I also have to add that it has one of the best openings to a film ever, and I don't mean that in a pervy sense


Ok guys, that's it for now and i'll post 10 more tomorrow.

Yeah, I Loved That Scene.

So lets continue...


79: The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)



Now, i'm not as in love with this film as most people are, which is why it sits here at number 79, but this highly rated gangster film is very good indeed. In terms of technical aspects, it's great and boost rich cinematography. It's an emotionally resonant crime story in which acts of violence and immorality can be overlooked depending on how powerful a figure is.

Everybody mentions Brando's performance a Vito Corleone (and rightly so). However, I really think that Al Pacino's performance stands out the most in this first installment. His transformation from college boy to big time gangster is handled with patience and skill. To think he was close to losing the role to Robert Redford really worries me about Hollywood. He was too short, too average, too ethnic looking for the studio...but thank god Coppola sorted those big wigs out and made the film the way he wanted to.

Oh, and hooray for cotton buds..

78: Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)



Despite the dodgy looking rubber shark, Jaws still has the power to shock, thrill and leave you exhausted. It was also one of the first of a wave of 'summer blockbuster' films shown.

In fact, that the shark is so dodgy looking may have actually helped the film. Rather than going all the way, Spielberg realises that the 'less you see, the more scary it is' formula really raises the bar on this film.

The characters are an interesting bunch, too, with Roy Schneider being the best of them. I love how at the end he gets all bad arse and says, 'smile you son of a biatch!' . Still one of my favourite quip before a death.

77. Mean Creek (Jacob Aaron Estes, 2004)



I watched this little underrated gem a few years back, and I immediately liked it. Yes, the similarities between this and Stand By Me were always going to be inevitable, but I can honestly say that this film is better than it's inspiration. Where Stand By Me featured a bunch of amicable leads that looked fresh faced and innocent, Mean Creeks offers a bunch of teenagers that are moody and almost unlikable. Just the way I like it. I'm a gloomy bastard, I know.

The film also has an eerie feel to it. I think it's the desaturated photography or the atmospheric location. Either way, it more than adds to the mood of this coming of age thriller. Definitely deserves it's place on my list.

76: The Imitation Of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959)



Caught this film at a film studies screening. Our module concentrated on melodrama and I was charmed by this film the moment I had read the synopsis. From my understanding, this film was one of the first to explore the cultural divide between white and black people in America.

Despite the period, Sirk is clearly much more interested in the relationship between Annie and her lighter skinned daughter who passes for white than he is with his famous leading star. Issues of identity and race are handled sensitively, and I really just find the ending tragic. Great melodrama.


75. Brick (Rian Johnson, 2005)



It's got to be said, Joseph Levitt Gordon is one of my favourite actors right now. I never thought i'd say that about any actor who was on 3rd Rock From The Sun, but Gordon has come a long long long way from that generic comedy show.

One of Brick's interesting features is not it's noir plot transferred to a contemporary American high school, or the fact that it subverts the genre making it both post modern and retro at the same time, but it's inventive and slang heavy dialogue that i'm surprised isn't apart of pop culture literature right now.

It's worth noting that Johnson edited his fine debut on a Mac, and it doesn't even show. There are some lovely poetic scenes in this thriller. Joseph Levitt showed he is easily able to deliver first class leading man roles, too. I find myself looking forward to his every film, and he sort of remains me of Heath Ledger from a physical stand point.

74: - Ok i'm a tad bit tired right now so i'ma have to finish off the 4th lot tomorrow.

Scarface, good. Haven't seen any of the others and I'm not really into horror so probably never will, but you're doing quite a good job with your little write ups at saying why you like them

The argument started with his misinterpretation of the film and stretched to gay cinema AFTER he specifically said (I can only assume he had a brain spasm) Brokeback was NOT a gay film (I'm not twisting anybody's words there buddy, that bit was black and white). I repeated my question about gay cinema after he denied another film of this title (or are we disputing he said that too?). I was merely asking what does qualify as gay cinema for him, but obviously that's a bit too much to process...


Funny that he should say that, seeing as how no one actually said it was. What I said was that Brokeback was a gay film, to which he replied it wasn't because it isn't a part of the new queer cinema. I think it was only reasonable for me to point out what I have about gay cinema not being new queer cinema. It's great that you two can read each other's thoughts, the rest of us can only try to interpret your writing, a daunting task at times...

And now we all agree that you were completely wrong, hurray...

Oh I got that bit...I believe I laughed a few pages back. Again, it's not because I'm gay, it's because I have common sense, and have a sick need to instill it into everyone, including the likes of you.

That's partly true, although I would say I look for any sign of stupidity from others so I can have a go. I'm just not a very nice person... Nope, the fact that I'm smart (and can actually spell) does...

I haven't seen Following yet. I'll check it out...

Damnit, was hoping you'd make a post before starting your list so i could make the "but Christopher Nolan hasn't made 100 films" joke.