| 1. Apocalypse Now- F. Coppola |
| 2. Stalker – Tarkovsky |
| 3. The Godfather – F. Coppola |
| 4. The Godfather Part II – F. Coppola |
| 5. Taxi Driver- Scorsese |
| 6. A Clockwork Orange- Kubrick |
| 7. Aguirre, the Wrath of God – Herzog |
| 8. Manhattan- Allen |
| 9. Days of Heaven – Malick |
| 10. Nashville – Altman |
| 11. Cries and Whispers – Bergman |
| 12. Annie Hall- Allen |
| 13. The Conformist – Bertolucci |
| 14. The Passenger – Antonioni |
| 15. Barry Lyndon- Kubrick |
| 16. Chinatown- Polanski |
| 17. Suspiria- Argento |
| 18. Jaws- Spielberg |
| 19. A Woman Under the Influence – Cassavetes |
| 20. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid – Peckinpah |
| 21. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie- Bunuel |
| 22. The Conversation- F. Coppola |
| 23. Amarcord – Fellini |
| 24. Mean Streets- Scorsese |
| 25. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest- Forman |
| 26. Star Wars- Lucas |
| 27. Performance – Roeg |
| 28. Don’t Look Now – Roeg |
| 29. Kings of the Road – Wenders |
| 30. Alien- R. Scott |
| 31. The Exorcist- Friedkin |
| 32. Network- Lumet |
| 33. The French Connection- Friedkin |
| 34. Dog Day Afternoon – Lumet |
| 35. McCabe & Mrs. Miller- Altman |
| 36. The Deer Hunter – Cimino |
| 37. Harold and Maude- Ashby |
| 38. Solaris- Tarkovsky |
| 39. The Mirror- Tarkovsky |
| 40. MASH- Altman |
| 41. The Parallax View – Pakula |
| 42. Badlands- Malick |
| 43. Five Easy Pieces – Rafelson |
| 44. Cabaret – Fosse |
| 45. Carnal Knowledge – M. Nichols |
| 46. 1900 – Bertolucci |
| 47. The Man Who Fell to Earth- Roeg |
| 48. The Last Tango in Paris- Bertolucci |
| 49. Halloween- Carpenter |
| 50. All the President’s Men- Pakula |
| 51. Carrie – De Palma |
| 52. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie- Cassavetes |
| 53. The Long Goodbye- Altman |
| 54. Lady Snowblood – Fujita |
| 55. Scenes From a Marriage – Bergman |
| 56. Day for Night- Truffaut |
| 57. All that Jazz- Fosse |
| 58. The Marriage of Maria Braun – Fassbinder |
| 59. The Wild Child- Truffaut |
| 60. The Last Picture Show – Bogdanovich |
| 61. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul – Fassbinder |
| 62. Two English Girls – Truffaut |
| 63. Dawn of the Dead – Romero |
| 64. The Outlaw Josey Wales – Eastwood |
| 65. Eraserhead – Lynch |
| 66. Nosferatu the Vampyre – Herzog |
| 67. Little Big Man – Penn |
| 68. Patton – Schaffner |
| 69. Dirty Harry – Siegel |
| 70. Deliverance – Boorman |
| 71. The Man Who Would Be King – Huston |
| 72. The Sting – Roy Hill |
| 73. Lenny – Fosse |
| 74. Scarecrow – Schatzberg |
| 75. Zabriskie Point – Antonioni |
| 76. Love and Death – Allen |
| 77. Fox and His Friends – Fassbinder |
| 78. Klute – Pakula |
| 79. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Hooper |
| 80. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia – Peckinpah |
| 81. The Tree of Wooden Clogs – Olmi |
| 82. California Split- Altman |
| 83. Le Cercle Rouge – Melville |
| 84. Three Women – Altman |
| 85. Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Spielberg |
| 86. The Spirit of the Beehive – Erice |
| 87. Life of Brian – Jones |
| 88. Vengeance is Mine – Imamura |
| 89. Midnight Express- Parker |
| 90. Three Days of the Condor- Pollack |
| 91. The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant – Fassbinder |
| 92. Walkabout – Roeg |
| 93. Rocky – Avildsen |
| 94. American Graffiti – Lucas |
| 95. The Getaway – Peckinpah |
| 96. Serpico -Lumet |
| 97. World on a Wire – Fassbinder |
| 98. In the Realm of the Senses – Oshima |
| 99. In a Year with 13 Moons – Fassbinder |
| 100. The Black Stallion – Ballard |
1. Apocalypse Now
2. Taxi Driver
3. The Godfather
4. Chinatown
5. Barry Lyndon
6. Mirror
7. A Clockwork Orange
8. Stalker
9. The Godfather Part II
10. The Holy Mountain (yup, this is my oddball choice)
I’ve only seen “The Holy Mountain” once but yeah, it didn’t seem like it belongs in these company after one viewing. The one here that fascinates me though is Tarkovsky’s “Mirror”. i seem to be in the minority having it as far down as i do- i had a breakthrough with Tarkovsky with “Nostalgia” in the fall of 2017. I haven’t seen “Mirror” since that so perhaps after the next viewing I’ll share your admiration for it.
Well done! Very thorough list. It’s always so amusing to debate best/worst movies. My 70’s top ten: (I’m not including my best animations because I personally feel those deserve their own category of greatness)
1. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
2. Kramer vs Kramer
3. Murder on the Orient Express
4. Star Wars IV
5. Barry Lyndon
6. The Godfather
7. Rocky
8. All the President’s Men
9. Alien
10. Jaws
Most apparitions in the « Best Performances of the Year » category, in the 70’s :
Al Pacino (5) :
} 1# en 1972.
} 6# en 1973.
} 7# en 1973.
} 1# en 1974.
} 1# en 1975.
Jack Nicholson (5) :
} 1# en 1970.
} 4# en 1971.
} 3# en 1973.
} 4# en 1974.
} 2# en 1975.
Robert DeNiro (4) :
} 2# en 1973.
} 2# en 1974.
} 1# en 1976.
} 1# en 1978.
Marlon Brando (3) :
} 1# en 1972.
} 1# en 1972.
} 2# en 1979.
Gene Hackman (3) :
} 2# en 1971.
} 5# en 1973.
} 5# en 1974.
Dustin Hofmann (3) :
} 4# en 1970.
} 6# en 1974.
} 5# en 1979.
Malcolm McDowell (1) :
} 1# en 1971.
Harvey Keitel (1) :
} 1# en 1973.
Richard Dreyfuss (1) :
} 1# en 1977.
Martin Sheen (1) :
} 1# en 1979.
George C. Scott (1) :
} 2# en 1970.
Klaus Kinski (1) :
} 2# en 1972.
William Holden (1) :
} 2# en 1976.
Woody Allen (1) :
} 2# en 1976.
Christopher Walken (1) :
} 2# en 1978.
Jean-Louis Trintignant (1) :
} 3# en 1970.
Warren Beatty (1) :
} 3# en 1971.
Fernando Rey (1) :
} 3# en 1972.
John Cazale (1) :
} 3# en 1973.
Ryan O’Neal (1) :
} 3# en 1975.
David Bowie (1) :
} 3# en 1976.
Bruno Ganz (1) :
} 3# en 1977.
Richard Gere (1) :
} 3# en 1978.
Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy (1) :
} 3# en 1979.
James Caan (1) :
} 4# en 1972.
Erland Josephson (1) :
} 4# en 1973.
Robert Shaw (1) :
} 4# en 1975.
Ben Gazzara (1) :
} 4# en 1976.
Harrison Ford (1) :
} 4# en 1977.
John Hurt (1) :
} 4# en 1978.
Roy Scheider (1) :
} 4# en 1979.
Elliot Gould (1) :
} 5# en 1970.
Ben Johnson (1) :
} 5# en 1971.
Peter Finch (1) :
} 5# en 1976.
Bruce Dern (1) :
} 5# en 1978.
Sylvester Stallone (1) :
} 6# en 1976.
@KidCharlemagne — appreciate all the work here. Pacino and Jack– and at the same time– 5 mentions a piece between 1970-1975
It’s your work. Just collecting data 🙂
A friend is a fan of Altman, and he mentioned that Altman was the best director of the 70s, above of Coppola, do you think he’s right?
@Aldo
It’s hard to argue that anyone could have had a better decade than the man with 3 of the top 5 (by Drake’s estimation) films of the decade and then a 4th masterpiece to boot. So I don’t think one could reasonably argue that Altman had a ‘better’ 1970s than Coppola. However, I do think Altman is perhaps a better and more protoypical example of the 1970s auteur driven new-Hollywood and from that perspective perhaps a “better 1970s” director. Coppola directed big classical masterpieces in the 1970s. Altman directed great 1970s films. Not sure if that distinction makes sense, but there it is.
Again having posting issues, and this time definitely not a character limit thing. Oh well.
My take is that Coppola directed better films in the 1970s, but Altman directed better 1970s films. That distinction may not make any sense, but it feels right to me.
@Matt Harris. I honestly didn’t understand haha, Altman directed more movies in the 70s, but only one of them is in the top 10, Coppola has 3 in the top 10
@Aldo I posted something longer that didn’t work and then just threw up the cliff notes. I’ll try again. Coppola directed better films during the 1970s than Altman. Some people (possibly including your friend) might argue that, but I think it’s close to objectively true. However, when you look at the 1970s, and specifically at the auteur driven, European influenced, New Hollywood movement itself, Altman’s films feel far more representative of that time than Coppola’s to me. Coppola’s films are great masterworks, but they don’t feel wedded to the period. So while Coppola directed better films during the 1970s, Altman is a better example of 1970s filmmaking. Hopefully that made more sense.
@Matt Harris. You’re right, Nashville is the perfect representation of American cinema
and it is probably the most influential movie in American cinema of the last 50 years.
Abusing your generosity, i was thinking if Scorsese and Kubrick had released their movies in 1979 (The shining and raging bull) instead of 1980, do you think either of them would be the director of the decade or would Coppola beat them?
@Aldo- Perhaps your friend’s argument is based on volume. If you go by sheer volume, I had Altman with 11 archiveable films in the 1970’s. That’s ridiculous. Coppola had 4… Altman had all 11 in an eight year stretch between 1970-1977— more archiveable films than Coppola (10) had his entire career.
Again, I’m not making this argument– but I’m sure that is a big part of it- along with what Mr. Harris has to say about his films being more of the 1970’s (outside of Apocalypse Now they’re just way more political)
Still– I don’t see how you overcome The Godfathers and Apocalypse Now.
@Aldo
It’s hard to argue that anyone could have had a better decade than the man with 3 of the top 5 (by Drake’s estimation) films of the decade and then a 4th masterpiece to boot. So I don’t think one could reasonably argue that Altman had a ‘better’ 1970s than Coppola. However, I do think Altman is perhaps a better and more protoypical example of the 1970s auteur driven new-Hollywood and from that perspective perhaps a “better 1970s” director. Coppola directed big classical masterpieces in the 1970s. Altman directed great 1970s films. Not sure if that distinction makes sense, but there it is.
@Aldo
Again having posting issues. Oh well. Coppola directed better films in the 1970s. Altman directed better 1970s films. Not sure if that distinction makes sense, but it feels right to me.
An interesting question. I part company (very slightly) from Drake in believing that Raging Bull is the greatest American film ever made, so that would certainly make things interesting, but I think you’d still have to go with Coppola. That would give Scorsese 2 enormous masterpieces, 1 must see, and a couple solid additional entries to flush out a phenomenal decade. Still doesn’t match 3 of the greatest films ever made plus an additional masterpiece.
As for Kubrick, you’d have to push The Shining back a year to 1979 and 2001 forward two years to 1970. A decade of 2001, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, and The Shining would stand pretty much shoulder to shoulder with Coppola’s decade.
All of this is to say that Coppola’s 1970s were just obscene.
What are other options (in your opinion) for greatest American film ever made?
I thought about it, but it’s just a lot, if it had come out in 1969, it could be included in the discussion, In this case we should also include a movie that came out three years out of the decade Rumble fish
Comparing him to Renoir, I think Coppola crushes him.
Okay, i know you are a fan of Kurosawa, between the 50s (Kurosawa) and the 70s (Coppola)
who thinks had a better decade?
Rashomon and 7 samurai line up with Apocalypse now and the
Godfather
With Kurosawa I look at the 17 year run from Drunken Angel (1948) to Red Beard (1965) and come to the unavoidable conclusion that it is the single most brilliant and productive stretch of filmmaking in history. 17 films in 17 years, all of them in the archives, and including somewhere in the range of 6-8 masterpieces. Now for our purposes this is complicated by the fact that those 17 years are spread over 3 seperate decades. As much as I love Drunken Angel (1948) and especially Stray Dog (1949) we can safely set the 1940s aside for this conversation.
I believe Kurosawa’s 1950s are unimpeachible. Seven Samurai (1954), Rashomon (1950), and Ikiru (1952) are simply 3 of the greatest films ever made (including my choice for the single greatest). Now I am far more taken with Throne of Blood (1957) than Drake and believe it has a very strong argument for masterpiece status and I also think The Hidden Fortress (1958) is stronger than he gives it credit for, though it is certainly on a lower tier than the other 4. Suffice it to say, I think Kurosawa’s 1950s can stand comfortably next to Coppola’s 1970s.
Then when you look at the 1960s, Drake raises the suggestion that Kurosawa may have begun that decade even more strongly than the 1950s. The Bad Sleep Well (1960), Yojimbo (1961), Sanjuro (1962), High and Low (1963), and Red Beard (1965) is about as impressive a start to a decade as one could imagine… but unfortunately the wheels fall off in the back half of the decade.
This is probably a more longwinded response than you wanted, but to directly answer your question, Kurosawa’s 1950s are one of very few candidates that I’d put up against Coppola’s 1970s. Hitchcock’s 1950s, Godard’s 1960s, and (if I’m being transparently honest) Nolan’s 2010s would also be worth considering here.
Thank you for your answer @Matt Harris, when you have finished your study, you could publish your ranking of Kurosawa movies.
As for Godard, i’m not sure Godard is the director of the 60s, there’s a pretty strong case for at least 5 filmmakers Fellini, Antonioni, Kurosawa, Bergman, Leone.
As for Nolan, I’m not convinced that he competes with the ones you mention
It’s kind of funny that Kubrick who gave (probably) the best movie of the 60s not in the conversation
1. Apocalypse Now
2. The Godfather, Part II
3. The Godfather
4. The Conversation
5. Monty Python’s Life of Brian
6. Taxi Driver
7. Being There
8. Star Wars
9. Annie Hall
10. American Graffiti
@James Robbins– talk about dominance for Francis Ford!
I love the 1970s but It’s another decade where the academy got it completely wrong especially in the best supporting actor side. Real Winners 1)Karl Malden-Patton(1970) 2)James Caan-The Godfather(1972) 3)Robert De Niro-Mean Streets(1973) 4)J.Cazale/R.De Niro-Godfather Part2(1974) 5)J.Cazale/R.Shaw-Jaws(1975) 6)L.Olivier-Marathon Man(1976) 7)Christopher Walken-Deer Hunter(1978) 8)Robert Duvall-Apocalypse Now(1979) They only got two right(Walken,De Niro) and six wrong. They didn’t even nominated Karl Malden(Patton),De Niro(Mean Streets),John Huston(Chinatown),John Cazale(Godfather 2),John Cazale(Dog day afternoon),Robert Shaw(Jaws),Gene Hackman(Superman),Marlon Brando(Apocalypse Now) or Denis Hopper(Apocalypse Now).The academy should be ashamed of themselves.Any disagreements with the above mentions?
I love Apocalypse Now, but I don’t see how anyone can get an academy award for supporting role, Duvall is great but he has less than 10 minutes of screen time, Brando’s performance is just too weird for the establishment critics at the academy, and Dennis Hopper isn’t acting he was just high the entire time. The academy is wrong a lot but I don’t blame them for nominating no one from Apocalypse.
@James Robbins- so you’re good with them giving it to Melvyn Douglas in Being There over them? I’d give it to either Brando or Duvall in a heartbeat.
Marlon absolutely should have gotten it. William Hurt got nominated for a history of violence for like 5-10 mins of screentime….marlon didn’t even get nominated. he was incredible in apocalypse now
What is the definite version of Apocalypse Now?The theatrical(1979),Redux(2001) or Final Cut(2019)?There is no way a film stays the same when you add 40 minutes of extended footage.
@Anderson- I have yet to catch Final Cut. I want to. I don’t think there’s a definitive version. Maybe it’ll be final cut. I’ve seen both the theatrical and redux multiple times. I think both are worthy of watching and study. I do find myself going back to the theatrical more often.
1. Stalker
2. Suspiria
3. Apocalypse Now
4. Alien
5. Taxi Driver
6. A Woman Under the Influence
7. Don’t Look Now
8. Halloween
9. Barry Lyndon
10. The Godfather
My love for the Horror genre is showing through on this one.
@Bonehica- well this is the decade for horror! great top 10!
1. apocalypse now
2. the godfather part 2
3. taxi driver
4. a clockwork orange
5. the godfather
6. suspiria
7. one flew over the cuckoo’s nest
8. mean streets
9. dirty harry
10. halloween
Best directors of the 70s: Coppola
I have a LOT left to see in the 70s, but right now I got this.
1. Aguirre, The Wrath of God
2. A Clockwork Orange
3. The Godfather
4. Days of Heaven
5. The Godfather II
6. Apocalypse Now
7. Carrie
8. Taxi Driver
9. Barry Lyndon
10. Chinatown
Hitchcock in the 50s:
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Dial M for Murder (1954)
Rear Window (1954)
To Catch a Thief (1955)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Vertigo (1958)
North by Northwest (1959)
If Hitchcock had made Psycho (1960 in the 50’s I think I might make the case for Hitchcock’s 50s being better than Coppola’s run in the 70s.
Agree or Disagree?
@James Trapp- Well I think you can make the case for Hitchcock’s 1950s with or without Psycho… look at that decade!
An excellent list. Only film on first glance missing is Peter Hyams Capricorn One. Otherwise excellent choices.
It’s interesting when you notice themes within certain time periods
I rewatched Joseph Losey’s Mr. Klein (1976) the other day having picked up the Criterion Blue Ray. This was my 3rd viewing and I am perfectly comfortable calling it a MP. The 1970’s had many great films related to paranoia or conspiracies and several of these you could even label as “Kafkaesque” due to their atmosphere, narrative or both.
Pakula’s Paranoia Trilogy:
Klute (1971)
The Parallax View (1974)
All the President’s Men (1976)
Films that deal with paranoia or conspiracies:
The Anderson Tapes (1971)
The Conversation (1974)
Chinatown (1974)
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Metamorphosis (1975)
Marathon Man (1976)
The Tenant (1976)
Eraserhead (1977)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
The China Syndrome (1979)
@James Trapp- Ok- enough is enough- I’m giving myself one week to watch Mr. Klein. Gonna make it happen.
@Drake – look forward to hearing your thoughts. My first viewing I was intrigued by the narrative and atmosphere which is similar to Polanski (think The Tenant which interestingly enough was the same year). However, it was my most recent viewing (#3) is when I picked up on much of the impressive camera work and mise-en-scene
@James Trapp- Totally fair. Not every masterpiece is a walk out of the theater holding your head in awe masterpiece. Unless something happens I should get to it tonight.
@James Trapp- I caught Mr. Klein. Excellent film- very happy to have finally caught up with it. The Tenant is a great comparison. I’d also add Fassbinder’s 1978 film to that list as Mr. Klein (albeit the earlier film) reminded me of Fassbinder’s film. You should check that one out if you get the opportunity. I have only had one viewing of each- but at least at this point would learn towards Fassbinder’s film as the superior film.
http://thecinemaarchives.com/2021/09/14/despair-1978-fassbinder/
@Drake – happy to hear that, I think the lack of resolution at the end was the right choice
I haven’t gotten to any of Fassbinder’s work yet but I’m going to add this to my short list of films to watch aside from my Herzog study.
@Drake – I am curious, when you watch a film multiple times of the course of say several months is there a particular progression or order in what elements of the film you pick up on.
In other words do certains elements of a film take longer to evaluate? Or does it depend upon the type of film?
Elements of Films
1. Camera movement
2. Mise-en-scene
3. Formal elements
4. editing
5. sound design
6. narrative
7. acting
* over the course
@James Trapp- I have a hard time with sound the first time for sure. There are always exceptions to that rule but I have a hard time appreciating a good score or sound design the first time for the most part.
Finished watching a ton of 70s movies year by year and these are the films i enjoyed the most
1970 – Patton
1971 – Dirty Harry
1972 – The Godfather
1973 – Mean Streets
1974 – The Godfather Part II
1975 – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
1976 – Taxi Driver
1977 – Suspiria
1978 – Blue Collar
1979 – Apocalypse Now
As for the best of the decade its between Godfather 1, Godfather 2, and Apocalypse Now. It really depends what you’re in the mood to watch as they’re all so epic its hard to rate which is actually better
@Dylan- Thanks for sharing this. What a decade for movies- and what a decade for Coppola.
Yes although 90’s is my favorite, by a landslide (although I don’t really like 1993… 1995 and 1999 are my favorite years of the 90’s)
I figured youd have something to say about the blue collar pick, but I just watched a bunch of 1978 movies and didn’t enjoy that year (I’d have movies like midnight express, straight time, halloween, days of heaven at the top of the list… but I don’t think much of them. For me, deer hunter has always been boring and so has dawn of the dead, I can never get through it, would rather watch the 2004 version, actually I thought night of the living dead was watchable but dawn of the dead 1978 is so boring to me). But I watched Blue Collar again for a 2nd day in a row and I enjoyed it on the second watch, very entertaining movie but I’d probably rank it as the worst of the 10 on my list. I’ll be watching more Schrader soon like Mishima (maybe tonight) and light sleeper and affliction and hardcore. And give first reformed a rewatch (saw it years ago, but thought it was boring).
@Dylan Not sure if you are into foreign cinema or not since your list is just American films, but in 1978 Fassbinder realeased two of the years best films; Despair and In a Year with 13 Moons that might be worth getting to one day.
I have seen 11 Schrader films but haven’t gotten to Blue Collar yet so I might see that too.
Yeah not really into foreign films, I am watching them though but can’t really get into them (my 2 favorites are Parasite by far, and then Pan’s Labyrinth), I also liked other korean movies by Bong, Chan-wook and Kim jee-woon. And I quite liked Amores Perros which I’m going to rewatch someday too, I love The Revenant. I tried In the Mood for love & chungking express in the past, not sure what I really thought, but I’m going to watch those 2 again and about 3 other of his films and see what I think. As far as foreign films go, I definitely prefer Asian & Spanish over Europe (so far the only French movie I enjoyed was La Haine. Irreversible was okay but I didnt really like it much and dont see myself rewatching it. I just find those 60s/70s italian/french movies boring. I tried Breathless too and didnt see what the fuss was about. I’m going to try the 400 blows soon when I do my 1959 watch list. And I will try La dolce vita also, but when I was doing my 1973 watch I couldn’t get through Amarcord.
As far as those old french, italian, russian, swedish movies go I can’t get into them. Movies like Stalker and Polaris and The Conformist were just boring to me when I tried.
Oh and Suspiria isn’t american although the version I watch is the dubbed one, I never saw the one in Italian language only (if there is one). I tried Argento’s other movies and yeah theyre nowhere as good as suspiria. It’s in my top 3 horror films with the shining & the thing
@Dylan yup my bad on Suspiria, I missed that in your list.
Have you tried any Kurosawa yet? He is a very accesable foreign filmmaker
Nevermind that last part, I see you seen Yojimbo and Ran
@Dylan- Thanks again for sharing all this. I’d encourage you to keep trying with films or filmmakers you didn’t catch on with the first time or two. I’d also challenge you to try to break from the “boring” critique and dig a little deeper- I mean I get that is how you felt- but those are your feelings- really has nothing to do with the movie really.
I’m not giving an objective rating, just saying what movies I personally found the best/most enjoyable to me. I have changed my opinion on many films with rewatches. As far as old foreign language movies go I just cant get into them because they’re mainly just talkies and not thrilling like Korean movies such as parasite, mother, the host, sympathy for mr vengeance, John Woo stuff like The Killer.
I’ve tried some Kurosawa (yojimbo, ran) and also Harakiri but didn’t like them… the samurai stuff aint for me. I will try High & low when I do my 1963 watchlist as I do love mystery/thriller movies (the plot sounds like Sympathy for mr vengeance which is pretty good). If I like that I will watch Ikiru. And I’m going to give 8 1/2 another shot
@Dylan- Fair if we’re just talking about the movies you enjoy- but surely you can see the contradiction on something like Blue Collar vs. The Conformist as an example,. One is a fine little movie (with a lot of talking)- and the other is The Conformist some some of the greatest “wow” imagery in the 1970s cinema http://thecinemaarchives.com/2021/04/10/1970/
@Dylan – the 70s is probably the greatest decade ever for American films, since you are big into Coppola, have you seen The Conversation (1974)? Coppola considers it his favorite and most personal film. I don’t know if that means he necessarily considers it his best but interesting regardless.
1978 has Days of Heaven which is arguably the most visually stunning film I have ever seen. There is one shot in particualar that frequently comes up in debates on the greatest shots of all time.
Altman is a huge part of the decade for American films with his 3 standouts:
McCabe and Mr. Miller (1971)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
Nashville (1975)
While he never really capitalized on his great start of career I love Bogdanovich’s
The Last Picture Show (1971)
Paper Moon (1973)
I recently watched the conversation, I thought it was alright, not sure what I’d rate it but im going to rewatch it again soon. I think it might be better than Blow Out, but I’m going to rewatch them both back to back one day. Definitely not on par with his top 3. And I think Patton was better which he wrote. Also Rumble Fish might be better, I’m going to rewatch that too. But I’d definitely put the conversation in his top 6 (if you can count Patton). It’s definitely better than the outsiders (which should be on the archives, its an above average movie). In the past I tried rainmaker, Godfather 3, Dracula, one from the heart, the cotton club and I didn’t enjoy them.
I hate Altman’s movies, I found 3 women to be his best but really don’t care for it. I thought Days of Heaven was pretty good but its no favorite of mine. Definitely much better than badlands.
I saw those 2 bogdanovich movies a long time ago, I found the last picture show to be boring, and I found paper moon to be pretty decent, but it’s nowhere near as good as Mean Streets or the exorcist. I don’t know what he sees in Pat garrett and billy the kid but I found that movie to be boring, and I do like some westerns (Unforgiven being my favorite and also the Tarantino westerns and Butch/Sundance)
Overall I find Coppola and Scorsese to make the highest quality stuff. I used to really like A Clockwork Orange and Dog Day Afternoon/Network but on rewatches I didn’t enjoy them really. I used to hate Cuckoo’s Nest but it grew on me after rewatches, I used to have DDA as my favorite of 1975
@Dylan – I am curious as to what specifically you value in films?
Narrative/Plot
Mood or Atmosphere
Camera work
content or subject matter
Stunning visuals such spectacular use of color or mise-en-scene
Pacing
Humor
Other
I think films can certainly be accessed using some level of objective factors. But none the less there is still a certain level of subjectiveness as different people will value these various traits differently.
I noticed you use words like boring or hate. If you were to look at the films you hold in the highest regart perhaps you will notice patters regarding your taste.
I think it’s also worth thinking about what you want to get out of films. Is it just about entertainment? Do you enjoy reading reviews and analysis? Do you want to pursue some type of career related to films. People watch films for different reasons. The fact that you are even on his site in the first place and posting on it makes me think you are interested in more than just being entertained but that’s just a guess on my part.
1. Writing/plot
2. Direction
3. Acting
For example… a scorsese movie with a boring script (lets say Silence, After Hours, etc) is nothing compared to a scorsese movie with a great script (Departed, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas). And since I’ve seen so many movies I know that the director is the main reason why a movie will suck or be good, not whoever is acting in it. I’ll take a Fincher film (my fav director) with some lame comedy actor like Will Ferrell or something over a bad director with De Niro in his prime.
A good example is why American History X is so highly rated by people despite the mediocre direction is the script and the acting. I can’t get into some directors with good cinematography like Malick or Wes Anderson because their scripts are so boring, they never make a movie with an engaging plot like Fincher, Tarantino, Scorsese or Villenueve
@Dylan – I too love Fincher
I am a little confused though as you list acting as one your 3 criterions for accessing films.
But then after that state the following:
“I know that the director is the main reason why a movie will suck or be good, not whoever is acting in it.”
These statements would seem to be contradictory
@Dylan – I love Malick but can understand why his style is not for everyone. Don’t get me wrong I love a great plot as much as anyone. However, if an interesting plot is a films main attraction it may have difficulty standing the test of time. I have seen Psycho (1960) over 20 times in my life and yet it has not lost any of its intrigue for me. It is masterful in creating a particular atmosphere of paranoia with a major assit from Bernard Herrmann’s score. The fact that I know every single thing that’s going to happen doesn’t diminish the experiece one bit.
I don’t know how you go about choosing which film you watch next but I’ll throw in my 2 cents; going through the work of a particular director in chronological order can be rewarding as you will pick up on certain themes, camera techiques, etc. across their filmographies. Some of those “boring” films you refer to may become more interesting.
I dont think it contradicts what I said, because like I said a top-tier director directing a bland script isn’t going to be very good. Like I said, Scorsese’s and Coppola’s movies for example… their best movies have the best scripts. Although a movie like Rumble Fish is the exception where the acting/screenplay probably isnt top-tier, but the direction is so good that makes it a top-tier film. Opposite of Rumble Fish is American History X, the script and acting by Norton is what makes it such a good film, not the direction.
I’m currently doing the 80’s and finishing up 1985, not impressed with this year but Brazil is definitely the best of the year by far. Going to be doing 1989 and 1987 to determine my favorites of those years but this is what my 80s list looks like so far (favorite of every year)
1980 – The Shining
1981 – Thief
1982 – Blade Runner
1983 – Rumble Fish
1984 – The Terminator
1985 – Brazil
1986 – Blue Velvet
1987 –
1988 – Die Hard
1989 –
@Dylan – it’s long but Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America (1984) is amazing. Not sure where you live but it’s currently on Netflix in America.
For 1987 Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket has grown on me over the years even if the 2nd half doesn’t match the greatness of the 1st
I tried it and didn’t like it, could never get through it and thought it was boring…. and I do like Casino and Godfathers so it isn’t because of the length. I do like Once upon a time in the west and the good the bad and the ugly.
I hated FMJ everytime I tried it… I mean I like the first half but the second half is boring. Casualties of War is the 2nd best vietnam movie imo (after Apocalypse Now ofc). I thought Coming Home was decent when I was watching 1978 stuff.
My favorite Kubrick’s are The Shining & eyes wide shut
RIP to James Caan
I loved him as Sunny in the Godfather and the final scene in Part II
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/james-caan-tribute-godfather-1379200/
@James Trapp – RIP indeed. 15 Caan films in the archives I believe:
1966- El Dorado
1967- Countdown
1969- Rain People
1972- The Godfather
1974- The Gambler
1974- The Godfather Part II
1975- Rollerball
1977- A Bridge Too Far
1978- Comes a Horseman
1981- Thief
1990- Dick Tracy
1990- Misery
1996- Bottle Rocket
2000- The Yards
2003- Dogville
@Dylan
No love for the Deer Hunter ?
Absolutely not… its my least favorite of the big 4 Vietnam movies – Apocalypse, FMJ, Platoon, Deer Hunter in that order. I mean the middle is good when theyre actually in Vietnam but the pacing is so bad… first hour is so unbearable to get through. De Niro also is way better in Mean Streets and Taxi Driver
I love the first hour, my favourite part of the movie 😅 it’s also my second favourite movie about the Vietnam War (after the obvious Apocalypse Now).
Agree 100% with James.
For me, it’s a top 5 performance for DeNiro but it’s my opinion. (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, The Godfather Part II, The Deer Hunter, Heat. In that Order).
@KidCharlemagne – nice top 5, mine is identical except swapping #4 and #5
1. Raging Bull
2. Taxi Driver
3. GF2
4. Heat
5. Deer Hunter
6. Mean Streets, I said above Mean Streets may be better than Deer Hunter but with further thought I will say Deer Hunter
@James Trapp-No King of Comedy(1982)? I don’t know why this performance of De Niro is so underrated here.
@Malith – Good call, If I expanded to top 10
1. Raging Bull
2. Taxi Driver
3. GF2
4. Heat
5. Deer Hunter
6. King of Comedy
7. Mean Streets
8. Cape Fear
9. Goodfellas
10.Once Upon a Time in America
Yeah, I overlooked King of Comedy initially
I love The Irishman and Casino and think De Niro was solid in both but did not give the best performance. In The Irishman I would put him behind Pesci and Pacino and for Casino I would say Sharon Stone gives the best performance followed by Pesci and then De Niro
@KidCharlemagne@Dylan – I think De Niro is great in Deer Hunter…I would agree he’s better in Taxi Driver but then again that’s arguably a top 10/15 performance ever so not exactly an insult to say his Deer Hunter performance is inferior. I would probably also agree that he’s better in Mean Streets but again no insult.
His performance in Deer Hunter as Michael is impressive in an understated way, he has a quiet resolve to him. He is less talkative with his buddies at home and a little shy around women. Yet when put in just about the most horrific situation imaginable (being a prisoner of war) it is Michael who somehow maintains his composure and gets him and his friends out of a situation where 99.9% of people would have not made it out alive. I will admit it is not the kind of performance that jumps out at you, it is very subtle.