103 Movies You Have To See or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Poll

[Tripe]

Anything can be nominated.

[LucasM]

Bravo to whomever picked 'Bride of Frankenstein'

<takes bow> That'd be me (and I'll resubmit it for another vote soon, with an explanation why it should be here to hopefully kick up its numbers more).

[Asbestos Bill]

I guess I'll add an essay for Koyaanisqatsi.

If you're not familiar with the concept, it's a movie made entirely of silent footage, much of it time lapse, and accompanied by a score by Phillip Glass. The movie is about scale and the weight of repetition. Everything is captivatingly shot, but it isn't a music video. The point is to present the complexity and size of human civilization in a way that can be comprehended. For this purpose, there was no other option for composer than Phillip Glass, who has made a career out of building with repetition. The great thing about the movie is its objectivity. The score doesn't try to make you feel a certain way about the implications of what's shown, it only tries to make you feel the weight of the footage. As for the video, its only way of expressing an opinion is through juxtaposition, which admittedly is used to highlight an imbalance between civilization and nature (Koyaanisqatsi is a native american word for "Life out of balance"), but it's done subtly enough that it's acceptable.

Because one's reaction to what's presented in it is completely internal, it is very powerful. For this, and for making a vast, complex concept comprehensible—and gracefully—I believe Koyaanisqatsi to be an important film. And it got my into Phillip Glass, which I have not regretted.

[Kete]

What do you guys think about not being able to change votes?  Should I enable it or not?

[Tripe]

I'm never a fan of unchangable votes, with every poll the point comes where the vote stands (i.e. when the voting closes). Before that point, I like that people are able to alter how they're voting, and it allows for people to make the case for their choice and possibly win others over.

[Smith Dr John Smith]

I think in this case you shouldn't change votes because it shouldn't be about voting for the most popular movies it should be about picking the movies you think are best.

[Pak-Man]

I'm with the Doc on this one. Everyone should vote for their favorite. Not to try to sway the vote in a particular direction.

[SJP]

While we're on the subject of Kurosawa, might I suggest Rashomon? A fantastic film which is about the very nature of storytelling, especially by those with reasons to not be entirely truthful or, at the very least, whose perceptions are not beyond suspicion.

Kurosawa should definitely have a few spots in a top 100 but one of those has to go to Rashomon.

Really?  I came away with an entirely different impression of that movie.   

Well, dang and blast.  I've been out of town for a few days (not for the happiest of reasons, won't bring down the thread about it), but here we go and send Ben-Hur out of the running.  I mayhaps have to reintroduce it a few rounds later on when all these so-called 'nerd' films (that I admit, would have submitted myself if they hadn't done so already) have been given their due.

But, as this is a new round, I'll give a chance to a new nominee...

Blade Runner (1982...or is it 1992?  2003?)
This sci-fi film introduced us to several very important aspects of filmmaking...
1. Visuals can sometimes totally overwhelm even very deep and well-realized stories.
2. Not every director who feels their work isn't up to par throws out the old videotapes when they re-release their intended vision of a film.  This thing was practically the poster child for the term "Director's Cut," a term we take for granted today but really meant something in the '80s and '90s.
3. Practically every dystopian future since owes its visual style to this film...which in turn owes to stuff like Metropolis, but only us silent film aficionados care about that.
4. Orchestral scores aren't always the best movie soundtracks...sometimes they aren't even the most memorable.  While it was certainly not the first film to use a synthesized score, it may be the first to add a film noir twist to it, and what an effect it has on the film.
5. Sean Young.  And androids being shot in slow motion.  What's not to like?

It's not a perfect film by any means...the first time I watched more than the best scenes I realized how slow-moving it is...but if Ridley Scott makes it onto the list, I think this is a much more important film to watch than Alien.  Alien might be more fun, and did do some good things, but I think cinematically Blade Runner was by far more influential.

[LucasM]

[[OK: everyone who can tell by this post that I'm past my limits, raise your hand...  one, two, three, four... shit, I need to get a piece of paper to keep tally of all of these hands...  five, six....]]

I'm with the Doc on this one. Everyone should vote for their favorite. Not to try to sway the vote in a particular direction.

Everyone has their own opinion, of course [or else this - and every other - forum on the internet would be pretty barren  ].  My understanding from the post starting this thread [which is, of course, essential to finding out what a thread is about and should always be read by anyone planning to post in a thread] is that this series of votes/films actually has little to do with "favorite" films.  It is about films that are important for one reason or another, whether socially, or to filmmaking itself.  [Heck, I've already said that if it had been nominated by itself, I'd have probably voted for Star Wars Ep.IV (assuming there weren't three other films I felt were more important present in that voting).  So, obviously, not about 'favorite' films if I'm willing to potentially vote for Star Wars in a positive light.  ]

So, to me, people making a case for why a film should be on the list - explaining what it did to deserve a place in a list of 'films exemplifying society or filmmaking', basically - is quite appropriate.  And, if someone reads someone else's descriptor and thinks about it and says, "y'know: that really does make more sense as being 'important' than film 'x' that I voted for... I think my vote should go for it instead," I think it should be possible to change to it.

That's my opinion, however... obviously not THE definitive idea about the 'possibility of changing one's vote' thing.  But it was my thought based on the point of this entire undertaking.

If this list was merely about 'favorites', I wouldn't bother participating, because, honestly, I don't give a shit about 'favorites'... I DO, however, want to find 'important' films that I may have somehow missed.  From nominations alone, with the rationale for their being nominated present, there have already been two films that were added to my NetFlix queue thus far; one of which I might receive tomorrow, the other which will presumably follow a few days later.


[I have been a little pissed lately because with the head injuries I can't read films, so foreign films are out of the question unless they are dubbed.  (My limit for reading a book in silence is about 20-30 minutes a day on a GOOD day, if that is mixed with anything else - such as background music, or trying to watch action in video in the background at the same time - my comprehension goes to '0' and I might last 5 minutes tops, remembering nothing about what I just saw or read, but still needing a couple days to recover from it.)  This thread reminded me that when I first heard about Kurosawa - much closer to TBI#3 - I looked for a dubbed copy of Seven Samurai, and they apparently didn't exist.  The reason I've been a little pissed lately is because after the last round of suggestions when I was reminded of him yet again, I looked for his films again on NetFlix and they apparently still don't exist dubbed.]

[Tripe]

There used to be a fan dub of Seven Samurai, it was on YouTube too, so it might have been in a format that worked for you. I wonder if it still exists somewhere.

[Kete]

I was just about to start the new poll, but I noticed two of the nominees are from Scott.  We need 1 more movie.

[LucasM]

There used to be a fan dub of Seven Samurai, it was on YouTube too, so it might have been in a format that worked for you. I wonder if it still exists somewhere.

Thanks!  I'll look for it in fandom rather than looking for a dub as an official DVD.

[Relaxing Dragon]

I was just about to start the new poll, but I noticed two of the nominees are from Scott.  We need 1 more movie.

Alrighty then.

Toy Story. Apart from being an excellent movie (though like most I think the second one is the best one), this was a revolution when it came to animated movies. The first feature-length film that was 100% computer generated, coming in at a time when the technology was still evolving and really showing what it could do in the movie world. Was the birthchild of Pixar, the little company that could (and we all know how that turned out, Cars aside).

[Kete]

The poll is up!  Votes can now be changed.  Since we're hoping that this list generates some movies that each of us haven't seen, I think that swaying votes should be accepted.

Let's hear some nominations for the next poll!

[Mrs. Dick Courier]

For the next vote I'll put in The Godfather

I saw this for the first time this year and can't believe I waited so long.  How can a movie be so dark?  Even outside in the full sun?  Genius.