I devour the BFI Best Films of All Time list whenever they deem it necessary to revise and (invariably) disagree with most of the findings, but I still get a kick out of browsing. Same with Rolling Stone's inane Best 100 Albums (how does Sgt. Pepper drop from #1 to #24 in the latest incarnation?); the anger I feel subsides when I see they've put a couple of Aerosmith albums on the list! We all disagree with that number one but we keep right on scrolling through each choice.
This project, which has been percolating for quite a while, originated from the constant back and forth "good natured bickering" between John Scoleri and myself. John invariably loves everything and I hate it all (for more of the discourse, I advise one and all to pick up a copy of bare•bones print magazine and read our debates about streaming and movie theaters to get a taste). I began to think it would be fun to compose a Favorite (as opposed to Best) 100 and compare our selections. Making it even more tantalizing, I managed to talk the third head of Ghidorah, Jack Seabrook, into participating. This could be interesting, since John's never seen a movie the two Georges (Romero and Lucas) didn't have a hand in, and Jack usually favors the flicks that have words at the bottom of the screen (dis-moi que j'ai tort, Jack!). I, on the other hand, can't wait to educate these two gentlemen as to what constitutes good cinema.
Every Thursday, we'll count down our picks two at a time. We're hoping this will generate discourse outside of our trio. Let us know just how crazy we are. This is going to be fun!—Peter
Remarks from the Gallery:
Jack: We've discussed the films of Christopher Nolan many times. I don't understand the appeal. I looked at the list of films he's directed and I think Dunkirk was the one I liked best. Oppenheimer was decent but an hour too long, and I didn't care for any of the rest. Darkest Hour is another very good film about Dunkirk from a different perspective.
John: I never caught this theatrically and first experienced it during one of our year-end wrap-ups in our home theater on a 120" screen. I thought the intertwined stories were an interesting gimmick that works well and an interesting way to present this history (of which I too was unfamiliar going in). It's not on my list, but a rewatch is definitely overdue.
"It's good knowin' he's out there—the Dude—takin' her easy for all us sinners."
After Jeffrey "the Dude" Lebowski falls victim to an attack at his home by two thugs, he gets caught up in a complex situation involving a rich man with the same name, the man's trophy wife, a producer of porn movies, and a group of nihilists—all while trying to focus on an upcoming bowling tournament.
The Big Lebowski is one of the most fun, memorable films I've seen in the last thirty years. Joel and Ethan Coen are to me what Christopher Nolan is to Peter. Despite what Netflix flags as "pervasive strong language," I enjoyed the heck out of this movie when it came out and on every rewatching since. Jeff Bridges is so good as the Dude that he doesn't seem like he's acting— he totally embodies the character. John Goodman is equally good as his friend and bowling companion, Walter, who flies off the handle at the slightest provocation but has a heart of gold. The rest of the cast is perfect, from John Turturro as the rival bowler named Jesus to Sam Elliott as the mysterious stranger who narrates and shows up at the bowling alley a couple of times. If you haven't seen this movie, I strongly suggest you give it a try.—Jack
Remarks from the Gallery:
Peter: I tried this one a couple times over the last twenty years or so and just could not get into it. It's one of those goofy "cult" flicks like Withnail and I that is held up high on the pedestal and leave me cold. I like some of the Coen Bros. flicks (No Country, the underrated Hail, Caesar!, Inside Llewyn Davis) but quite a few of them come off as pretentious and very Lynch-ian to me. My loss, Dude fans might say.
John: The Coen Brothers are like Christopher Nolan to me. I understand why they have devoted fan bases, but I find their films are hit or miss, and more often misses, as far as my appreciation. For what it's worth, Miller's Crossing is my favorite Coen Brothers film, and it didn't even make my top 100. The Big Lebowski has certainly grown on me over the years. The first time I watched it, I didn't appreciate it at all. But after several friends suggested that I give it another chance, I did and was pleasantly surprised. It's not perfect, but I do think it's their funniest and most quotable film.
"At my signal, unleash hell."
I saw an early screening of Gladiator several weeks before its release and I was blown away. I was aware of Russell Crowe; he impressed me in Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead and made a name for himself in L.A. Confidential, but it was Gladiator where I realized that he was destined to be a major star.
Ridley Scott's Roman epic exceeded my expectations, from the opening battle with the Germanic tribes to the faceoff in the Colosseum. And it's got a great Hans Zimmer score. Like the greatest epics, it stands up on repeat viewings. It took me some time to warm up to Joaquin Phoenix, whose character I couldn't stand, because I didn't initially give his performance credit for my disliking the character.—John
Remarks from the Gallery:
Peter: I'll have more to say about this knockout (SPOILER ALERT!) next week but I'll just add that I remember you raving about your sneak preview experience to me and David J. Schow in L.A. that year and my not being impressed with the trailer. I was wrong for perhaps the first and last time.
Jack: Gladiator came close to making my list after we watched it a few months ago before a vacation in Rome. I agree that it's a terrific movie.
"Let me ask you something. Why don't people trust their instincts? They sense something is wrong; someone is walking too close behind them... You knew something was wrong but you came back into the house. Did I force you, did I drag you in? No. All I had to do was offer you a drink. It's hard to believe that the fear of offending can be stronger than the fear of pain."
Jack: I've not read the book nor seen the movie.
John: If Peter weren't so averse to reading subtitles, he'd surely have put the Noomi Rapace original on his list instead of this lesser version. I've seen it, and while it's not bad, like many a US-remake of a foreign film, it's unnecessary.
TV Western star Rick Dalton's career is fading as 1969 dawns. He and his stunt double, Cliff Booth, try to figure out where Rick goes from here as they cross paths with some sinister hippies at a nearby ranch. Will Rick make the transition to spaghetti Westerns? Are his neighbors, Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate, in danger from the hippies?
I loved this movie when it first came out and I loved it just as much when I watched it again recently. The way Tarantino evokes late '60s Hollywood is perfect. I don't care if it wasn't really like this, it should have been!
DiCaprio is perfect as Dalton and the re-creation of his TV show is great. Pitt is just as good as Booth. His fight with Bruce Lee is classic. The twists and turns of the plot are wonderful and the ending, where Tarantino's penchant for violence finally bears fruit, is grotesquely satisfying. If only real life had worked out this way.—Jack
Remarks from the Gallery:
Peter: What John doesn't say below is that he sees every movie ten times theatrically. Without completely spoiling my opinion of this one, I'll just say that I have nothing to say for several months.
John: I saw the film 10 times theatrically during its original run. I too will have more to say months down the road. At least we now have confirmation that there's at least one film that landed on all three of our lists—our first hat trick!
Payback (1999)
"Not many people know what their life's worth is. I do. Seventy grand. That's what they took from me. And that's what I was going to get back."
This is the film that inspired me to start reading Donald Westlake's 'Richard Stark' Parker novels. Like The Last Man on Earth, the change of the main character's name is annoying, particularly in that it's spoken so often throughout the film. But that aside, I really like Gibson's portrayal of the character. He's my favorite Parker (in this case, Porter), and I would have loved to see him appear in additional installments. I love the film's balance of intensity and black humor.
Maria Bello is fantastic, as always, and the rogues gallery of the (other) bad guys is a classic lineup including William Devane, James Coburn, and Kris Kristofferson!—John
Remarks from the Gallery:
Peter: This was a near miss for me (let's put it at #103). I also love Mel in this but he wins "Best Parker" by default when you think about who the competition is (yeah, Lee Marvin is a great actor but he ain't Parker, boys and girls, so bring on your disdain for my diss). I'm surprised you didn't mention the alternate cut, which I think is the preferred cut of Payback, released years after the initial DVD. Much darker, more violent, and no happy ending. In fact, the studio version (taken away from Helgeland by Mel himself) wouldn't dent my 200. I've read every single Parker novel Westlake wrote (I'm still waiting trepidatiously for some ghost to pick up the reins a la Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne) and Helgeland's vision (not the one John is raving about, mind you) is the best adaptation.
Jack: This seems like something I would've seen but I don't remember it at all!
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