Sight & Sound: RU Edition

[Johno]

"Every decade, Sight & Sound asks an international group of film professionals to vote for their greatest film of all time..."

Film professionals?  Sounds a lot like us, eh? 

Time for the folks at Righter's Untie, the most esteemed writers and film critics in the biz (lol), to make our own Sight & Sound lists!

This means films that hold meaning for us, based on what WE want to base our lists off of -- either the best technical films of all-time, films that have influenced us, or even just amazingly fun films with insane replay-ability quality about them)...  While the official lists have rules based on franchises -- meaning the list can't comprise of a sequel, it must mention the entire franchise as a whole -- we won't be holding that to you.  It's up to you if you want to include a whole franchise or just a single film. 

The official Sight & Sound list as of 2012:
01. Vertigo
02. Citizen Kane
03. Tokyo Story
04. La Règle du jeu (The Rules of the Game)
05. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
06. 2001: A Space Odyssey
07. The Searchers
08. Man with a Movie Camera
09. The Passion of Joan of Arc
10. 8½
Closest runner-up: Battleship Potemkin

How will your list stack up in comparison, RU-ians?!

[Sam Winchester]

HM I Couldn't Put There: Blade Runner, The Last Starfighter, The Temple of Doom, Children of Men, The Graduate, Iron Giant, Minority Report and Terror of Mechagodzilla

[Ceb18]

1. Akira

2. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly 

3. District 9

4. Seven Samurai

5. Rocky

6. The Iron Giant

7. Head

8. Toy Story

9. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

10. Shaun of the Dead

Honorable Mentions:

Cloverfield

Easy Rider

[Dean Winchester]

After a quick round-up of my favourite films and tid-bits, I've come to a conclusion which I'm sure will edit like a bitch in future days, weeks, months, years...etc

But please, accept this as my most reliable list...

Hon. Mentions

The nearly-folk...

There Will Be Blood

"Drainage! Drainage, Eli, you boy. Drained dry. I'm so sorry. Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching?. And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake... I... drink... your... milkshake!"

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Year Released: 2007

Halloween

"I met him, fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and, the blackest eyes... the *devil's* eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... *evil*"

Director: John Carpenter
Year Released: 1978

No Country For Old Men

Anton Chigurh: Yes, you did. You've been putting it up your whole life you just didn't know it. You know what date is on this coin?
Gas Station Proprietor: No.
Anton Chigurh: 1958. It's been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it's here. And it's either heads or tails. And you have to say. Call it."

Director: Joel & Ethan Coeh
Year Released: 2007


Other Hons:
Serenity
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
The Green Mile
Rebel Without A Cause

And so it begins.

#10

The Apartment

"Miss Kubelik, one doesn't get to be a second administrative assistant around here unless he's a pretty good judge of character, and as far as I'm concerned you're tops. I mean, decency-wise and otherwise-wise."

Director: Billy Wilder
Year Released: 1960

#9

The Bridge On The River Kwai

"One day the war will be over. And I hope that the people that use this bridge in years to come will remember how it was built and who built it. Not a gang of slaves, but soldiers, British soldiers, Clipton, even in captivity."

Director: David Lean
Year Released: 1957

#8

American Beauty

"I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time... For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars... And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined our street... Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper... And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird... And Janie... And Janie... And... Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday."

Director: Sam Mendes
Year Released: 1999

#7

The Lives Of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)

"The state office for statistics on Hans-Beimler street counts everything; knows everything: how many pairs of shoes I buy a year: 2.3, how many books I read a year: 3.2 and how many students graduate with perfect marks: 6,347. But there's one statistic that isn't collected there, perhaps because such numbers cause even paper-pushers pain: and that is the suicide rate."

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Year Released: 2006

#6

The General

"..."

Director: Buster Keaton
Year Released: 1928

#5

Psycho

"A boy's best friend is his mother."

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Year Released: 1960

#4

Edward Scissorhands

"Kim: Hold me.
Edward: I can't." FUCKING HEARTBREAKING

Director: Tim Burton
Year Released: 1990

#3

Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno)

"Many, many years ago in a sad, faraway land, there was an enormous mountain made of rough, black stone. At sunset, on top of that mountain, a magic rose blossomed every night that made whoever plucked it immortal. But no one dared go near it because its thorns were full of poison. Men talked amongst themselves about their fear of death, and pain, but never about the promise of eternal life. And every day, the rose wilted, unable to bequeath its gift to anyone... forgotten and lost at the top of that cold, dark mountain, forever alone, until the end of time."

Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Year Released: 2006

#2

The Dark Knight

"Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

Director: Christopher Nolan
Year Released: 2008

#1

Jurassic Park

"No, I'm, I'm simply saying that life... finds a way."

Director: Steven Spielberg
Year Released: 1993

[Johno]

Honorable Mentions...


“Little Miss Sunshine” (2006)


“Paranoid Park” (2007)


“Dawn of the Dead” (2004)


“Sunshine” (2007)


“Zombieland” (2011)


“Halloween” (1978)


“Scream 4” (2011)


“Night of the Living Dead” (1968)

Now, onto the list itself...

10.) “Grindhouse” (2007) – starring Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, & Mary Elizabeth Winstead

“Planet Terror revolves around an outfit of rebels attempting to survive an onslaught of zombie-like creatures as they feud with a rogue military unit, while Death Proof focuses on a misogynistic, psychopathic stunt man who targets young women, murdering them with his "death proof" stunt car.”

Featuring an all-star cast and a director mash-up of bloody proportions, “Grindhouse” is a film that you’ll either love it or hate it. I’m a big fan of “Planet Terror”, it’s my favorite segment of the duo and I’ll spend most of the time talking about that. “Grindhouse” gives this weird, incredibly fun and gory experience. I can’t even really put it into words. It’s just very tongue-in-cheek and very fun, I recommend you see it if you haven’t yet – even if you only see “Planet Terror”.


9.) “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989) – starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Randy Quaid, Juliette Lewis, & Johnny Galecki

I thought this movie would be lame when my dad decided to pop in his favorite Christmas movie. I always find them so dull and repetitive, but “Christmas Vacation” has become one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s hilarious from start to finish, and the characters are relatable. We all have the crazy family members we’d prefer not to associate with (but we end up getting forced to) during the holidays, and here they are, going through crazy antics such as a squirrel in the natural Christmas tree, an overcooked turkey, fantasies of a sexy jewelry store clerk diving nude into your swimming pool… we all have those, don’t we? Anyway, it’s a film I watch yearly and it’s just one that’s stuck with me. It makes me laugh everytime and it’s just really feel-good and fun.


8.) “The Cabin in the Woods” (2012) – starring Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchinson, Fran Kranz & Jesse Williams

“Five college kids scoot off to a remote woodland cabin for a weekend break, where, after the discovery of a rum diary in the creepy basement and the unwise uttering of some ominous Latin scrawlings, things swiftly turn horrific. That’s what happens. As for why and how, well, that’s a whole other story...”

“The Cabin in the Woods” is one of the finest horror-comedy’s I’ve ever seen. It has such an intense atmosphere that it manages to be scary and funny at the same time. There isn’t much to say here that hasn’t already been said about this movie in other reviews – it’s clever, funny, oozing with amazing characterization and dialogue (even in its swift 90 or so minutes you get a feel for every character). It really does take a peek at horror conventions – the character stereotypes, the dumb moves, and everything – and really toy with them. Fran Kranz’s Marty is one of the most boisterous and hilariously entertaining characters to ever grace horror cinema. And then the ending is just pulse-poundingly epic.


7.) “Casino Royale” (2006) – starring Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench & Jeffrey Wright

“Newly-promoted to the 00 section, James Bond (Daniel Craig) thwarts a scheme of shady financier LeChiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). LeChiffre stages a high-stakes poker tournament in Montenegro, hoping to recoup his lost money, and M (Judi Dench) has Bond enter the game, intent on bankrupting his opponent. He is teamed with Vesper Lynd (Green), a treasury official who holds the purse-strings on Bond’s table stakes.”

Daniel Craig’s debut performance as James Bond cements the 007 franchise as the action franchise to beat, giving us something former Bond’s have failed to do even in multiple outings as the British super spy – humanize him. The twisted tale of Bond’s first mission and finding true love in the form of femme fatale Vesper Lynd gives us a film that mixes an overall retro feel in a modern timeline. It truly is astounding how well pulled off the film is, a true return-to-form for a series that fell so far with its previous outing, “Die Another Day”. The film is lighter on action than most Bond films, swapping in more characterization and story, but the action pieces it does have are some of the best the series has offered; including a foot chase through a construction zone and a brutal fight on the stairwell in a hotel. Craig’s steely performance and his wonderful chemistry with his co-stars, including Eva Green and his boss, Judi Dench’s M, make him the James Bond to beat.


6.) “Finding Nemo” – featuring the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould & Willem Dafoe

“Overprotective father Marlin is horrified to witness his curious, young clownfish son Nemo's capture by a human diver. Frantic Marlin overcomes his timidity to search for Nemo, helped by his new blue friend Dory in a deep-sea CGI adventure.”

It’s “Finding Nemo”. Its inclusion here is really self explanatory – its just such a wonderful, feel-good, funny film with such fluid and perfect animation. It does no wrong, really.



5.) “Melancoholia” (2011) – starring Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexander Skarsgard, & Kiefer Sutherland

“At her own wedding reception, Justine (Kirsten Dunst) is overcome bydepression and alienates everyone, including her new husband (Alexander Skarsgard) and her devoted sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg). When a new planet, Melancholia, appears in the sky, Justine knows it will destroy Earth.”

“Melancholia” is a film like many… about the end of the world nearing. Though, it’s unique in its execution; how two sisters cope with it. The focus is on them and only them. It’s split into two parts for both sisters – one titled ‘Justine’ and the other titled ‘Claire’. Dunst plays the terrifically melancholy Justine, who rejects every trapping of happiness (including her wedding day with Alexander Skarsgard) and thus is open and finally becomes happy with the nearing of the world’s end, while Gainsbourg’s better-adjusted Claire has much more to lose with a happy marriage to Kiefer Sutherland, a child, a job and a home, and is enraged by the threat of it. It’s an interesting film, with gorgeous visuals and truly captivating performances. Kirsten Dunst deserved an Oscar Nomination at the very least, and truly was shunned… I’ve never seen a performance so truly thought-out and captivating. It was as if she was Justine, she became that character. We see the end of the film in its beginning, and we think it’s a horrible sight. But by the film’s end, we see an odd beauty in it...


4.) “Jurassic Park” (1993) – starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum & Richard Attenborough

“Scientists clone dinosaurs to populate a theme park which suffers a major security breakdown and releases the dinosaurs.”

I watched and love "Jurassic Park" as a kid. It truly was one of the most captivating moments of my life, and over the years, none of that luster or magic of its initial release has left. It's still as wonderful and amazing as it was when it came out. There's something about dinosaurs - the idea of bringing them back, the potential of this theme park - that is really magical. And then when it all goes to hell, it truly becomes this action-horror movie. It sweeps you up in its intensity, and though who lives and who dies does become a bit predictable, in the end it doesn't really matter. The effects are great, the writing top-notch and smart, and the acting is just as good. Truly wonderful film, though honestly as an inspiration it really has been beat out by 3 others that I must say do top it in my personal preferences...

My top 3 are really films that have inspired me to be the writer I am today and the writer I hope to be in the future, so here it goes:

3.) “28 Weeks Later” (2007) – starring Robert Carlyle, Imogen Poots, Mackintosh Muggleton, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, & Harold Perrineau

“Britain has been emptied. There's nobody there. It's completely dead. And six months later the Americans arrive to reboot it back up again. But, of course, something goes wrong...”

“28 Weeks Later” is, in my mind, one of the most underrated films of all time. The style presented in its filmmaking, its pure visual flair, is breathtaking. “28 Days Later” was captivating in its own right, reinvigorating the zombie genre, with added smarts and an innovative style to it. Though in my opinion, the film faltered in its 2nd half. Simply because it’s a sequel, “28 Weeks Later” may not be as fresh as its predecessor, but the changes and innovations are key to its success. The story remains relatively simple though there are so many layers to it; the family survival, how one boy’s quest to simply get a picture to remember his mother’s face, and how one man’s guilt and love for his wife turning into a simple kiss of death turns to pure hell for the rest of London, is simply captivating. So many wonderful expanding set-pieces including the astounding opening sequence, and a scene where the young boy Andy is trapped in quarantine all alone with a bunch of strangers as a claustrophobia-inducing horrifying surge of the outbreak occurs. The fractured British family was something I found to be an interesting focus for the film, we get our “surrogate” family in the first film consisting of four people, a dad and his daughter and two strangers, whereas the sequel offer us a real family. Child actors Imogen Poots and Mackintosh Muggleton are standouts, while Carlyle and McCormack offer tragic performances, even with their lighter roles. Whenever Carlyle is on screen, he just offers so much, bringing so much to his role. It’s a film I find entertaining upon every viewing I’ve had of it, and will continue to cherish it in the years to come. While the Infected are not technically ‘zombies’, it’s still the film that inspired me to become the writer I am today. So kudos and thank you, “28 Weeks Later”.


2.) “Scream” (1995) – starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich & Drew Barrymore

“A teenage girl is slashed to pieces after receiving a phone call in which her killer taunts her with references to other slasher movies. Her peers have a party in which they discuss survival tactics a la horror convention, and get picked off one by one…”

You’ve seen this plot a million times before. A girl is murdered by a stalking serial killer, others follow suit. The slasher genre had become formulaic and was dead in the early-90’s… “Scream” was a film that had balls. It challenged everything about the slasher genre and completely trumped all slasher films that preceded or followed it. While surely “Psycho” and “Halloween” are amazing films, triumphant in their art in setting up the genre (no matter how you classify “Psycho”, you cannot deny it had influences on the slasher genre itself), “Scream” just did that and so much more. It reinvigorated the genre and gave us a snappy cast, fun dialogue, and an overall wild ride with an amazing twist at the end. It leads you in so many directions, mixing a typical horror slasher figure (with a murderous, recognizable masked figure wielding a sharp knife), with bits of self-referential comedy and a murder mystery tale with a real backstory to it. “Scream” is a gamechanger for the horror genre, and was really eye-opening for me as a writer, just because of how smart of a film it is from its dialogue and characters to its final twist.


1.) “Jaws” (1975) – starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary & Murray Hamilton

“The peaceful community of Amity island is being terrorized. There is something in the sea that is attacking swimmers. They can no longer enjoy the sea and the sun as they used to, and the spreading fear is affecting the numbers of tourists that are normally attracted to this island. After many attempts the great white shark won't go away and sheriff Brody, with friends Hooper and Quint decide to go after the shark and kill it.”

There’s no question. This is the film that inspired me to write. We all have one, don’t we? The one film you’ve seen, the film that you knew from the moment you saw it, whether at a ripe young age of probably five or six like I was seeing “Jaws” or even much later in your life, that you wanted to be involved in the movie-making experience. After seeing “Jaws”, I wanted the opportunity to tell stories and bring them to life as vividly as “Jaws” did. There really doesn’t need to be an explanation as to why “Jaws” is so astoundingly inspiring… it’s one of those age-old films that will be forever remembered for its feats, for how simply terrifying it is. From the amazing opening sequence to its final climactic ending, “Jaws” accomplished so much and ended up leaving its mark as a watershed moment in motion picture history.

[Jester]

Ok, this is more a list of films that changed my life. It was so hard cutting this down, but I'm happy with the final selection.

10.Once Upon A Time in the West (1968)
“Do you know anything about a guy going around playing the harmonica? He's someone you'd remember. Instead of talking, he plays. And when he better play, he talks.”

Why?
Because Henry Fonda plays a bad guy... A fucking epic bad guy. Oh, and the score is amazing. I knew one Sergio film would be on here. I had to narrow it down out of this and one of the Man With No Name trilogy films (as I prefer to call it). This I think is slightly better. It’s simply masterful. I will never laugh at the harmonica again.


Who?
Directed by Sergio Leone, written by Sergio Leone and Sergio Donati





9. Life is Beautiful (1997)
“Buongiorno, Principessa!”

Why?
Because in the darkest time in most recent history this film shows that love can prevail and by God, it’s moving. A film about love... Love between a man and a woman, and love between father and son, all in the face of the greatest tragedy of all time. I dare you not to fall in love with this film. I dare you not to bellow, “Buongiorno Princess!” at every girl you see. This film is love captured in frames. I must move on, BECAUSE MY MASCARA IS RUNNING!


Who?
Directed by Roberto Benigni and written by Roberto Benigni and Vincenzo Cerami






8. Vengeance trilogy: Oldboy (2003)
“Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry alone.”

Why?
Erm cause it’s like the best revenge story ever? The entire trilogy is actually pretty amazing, I like Lady Vengeance might be a tad bit better, but I enjoy Oldboy more. It has one of the best fight scenes ever. Oh, and a fantastic twist which really changes the game and offers one of the biggest “WTF?!” endings ever.


Who?
Directed by Park Chan-wook and written by some Asian dudes




7.The Lion King (1994)
“hakuna matata”

Why?
Cause it’s Disney’s Renaissance’s finest moment. And let’s face it, it’s the best Shakespeare adaptation ever. Plus Scar is the best villain in history. "Long live the King!". Oh god, my pants are wet.


Who?
Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton.





6. Blade Runner (1982)
“I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those ... moments will be lost in time, like tears...in rain.”

Why?
It has to be lived. You could watch it a thousand times and take something new away from it each time. And just when you think you’ve finally cracked the film, you’ll notice something new which throws all your belief out the window.  It’s layered, and I adore layered films. Plus it’s a dark Neo Noir visual masterpiece.


Who?
Directed by Ridley Scott and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples-
Based on “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” By Philip K. Dick.




5. Alien (1979)
“In Space, no one can hear you scream...”

Why?
Because it’s fucking terrifying and it changed the world. Plus it’s so iconic and I’m a sucker for icons. THAT chest bursting scene is... glorious. P.s, so the poster features a cracked egg because that was an original idea... But no get in the film. Why does no one ever point this out?


Who?
Directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan O'Bannon (mostly)





4. Cool Hand Luke (1968)
“What we've got here is... failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it... well, he gets it. I don't like it any more than you men.”

Why?
Paul Newman... And some of the best dialogue ever. What’s Newman’s dirt doing in the Bosses ditch?! It's just an all round classic film, so enjoyable. And you're cheering for the rebel the entire film, woop! Oh Paul


Who?
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg and written by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson





3. Babel (2006)

“I'm deaf, not blind!”

Why?
The tag line says, “listen.” And Babel (much like it’s name sake) is all about the confusions between human beings. What we have is four stories set across the world. Four stories each so deeply connected to each other, each action affecting the next. It’s about people; lost people, sad people, all people. And it caps off Alejandro González Iñárritu beautiful Death Trilogy perfectly. Oh, and the world infused score is beautiful on its own.


Who?
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga





2. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
“Young men make wars, and the virtues of war are the virtues of young men – courage and hope for the future. Then old men make the peace, and the vices of peace are the vices of old men – mistrust and caution. It must be so.”

Why?
This film is an epic. Not just any epic. But a mother fucking David Lean epic. Who is the KING of all epics. Lean only made brilliant films, let’s face it. Oilver Twist, Brief Encounter, Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago to name but a few of my favourites. The man was an English great. Plus Peter O’toole’s performance is so tender and delicate. He’s mesmerising to watch.

Who?
David Lean <3




1. Close Encounters of a Third Kind (1977)
“I figured it out, that's all. Will you just listen?... Have you ever looked at something and it's crazy, and then you looked at it in another way and it's not crazy at all?... Don't be scared. Just don't be scared. I feel really good. Everything's gonna be all right. I haven't felt this good in years.”

Why?
Single handily THE film which made me want to become a writer. I remember I lived right in the middle of the countryside when I was a little bearded lad, and late one night my Granddad was watching a film. VHS days we’re talking here. So I was terrified in my bedroom because in the countryside when it gets dark, it gets fucking DARK. Anywho, I crept down, told him I couldn’t sleep and he said I was allowed to stay up and watch this film with him. I remember he said something like, “this film changed my life when I was young Pel, because it made me question everything and fear nothing.” My granddad was a storyteller for the record. Very poetic with his words.

So I was six. Mind fucking blown. It’s not a perfect film by any means. But it’s the film which most touches my heart. It’s magical, deals with obsession, a thirst for knowledge, a fear of the unknown, and it’s final half an hour brings me to tears. The idea of communicating through musical notes, just... Words can’t describe my poor geeky love for this film.  I could talk forever about this film, it’s mise en scene, it’s iconic moments, it’s score, it’s wonderful and clever use of clashing dialogue, the metaphors, the fact Francois Truffaut is in it, but I’ll stop now.


who?
Steven Spielberg. BAM!


Thank you and goodnight!