realitybites

I really went on a tirade in my previous blog entry--slamming Sight & Sound's Fifty Greatest Films of all time 2012 list.

But should I really be stirring up a storm if I have not actually seen all the movies in their list? Perhaps I shouldn't. Of course, no one has seen all movies made. And so anyone who has submitted a top ten list is guilty of doing this. For how can one know if a film is worthy or not of being in a top ten list, if one hasn't actually seen the film?

Therefore, I am on a mission to view every single film on S&S's 2012 list. I will start with the top ten, then go from there.

For now, I have listed my top ten films. However, I may end up changing some of my selections. Maybe I shouldn't be making a list at all. I am beginning to doubt my picks. They seem so pedestrian. Could I defend them? Would I lose a debate against a film student who echos the elitist, pretentious film historians who consider their picks to be sacred cows? Those people really get under my skin. I hate snobbery and pomposity. I am more of a spokesperson for the intelligent and imaginative film buff who can appreciate a variation--both high and low brow film, and everything in between.

Anyhow, I plan to view at least the top ten S&S films, and to have a final selection of my Top Ten Films by the end of the year. Check back for updates.


I will post a screenshot for each of the films in my top ten list.

My Ten Greatest Films of all time list:


1.2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick, 1968

Memorable moment: Dave kills Hal.





2. 8 1/2, Federico Fellini, 1963

A visual extravaganza! ~ A feast for the eyes!





3. Titanic, James Cameron, 1997

Epic proportions of everything.





4. The Silence of the Lambs, Johnathan Demme, 1991

Characters, sound, mood, suspense!





5. Toy Story 3, Lee Unkrich, 2010

Huge heart!





6. Volver, Pedro Almodóvar, 2006

Depth, layers, characters, color, drama!





7. Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton, 1990

Magical!





8. Requiem for a Dream, Darren Aronofsky, 2000

Original, dark, engaging.





9. Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino, 1994

It's got everything and more.





10. Some Like It Hot
Billy Wilder, 1959

Jack Lemmon is brilliant!





After I view a film from the S&S list, I will assign it one to four points.

S&S Fifty Greatest Films 2012 List:

1. Vertigo ~ 3.5
2. Citizen Kane ~ 3.5
3. Tokyo Story ~ 3.5
4. La Règle du jeu
5. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey ~ 4
7. The Searchers ~ 3.5
8. A Man With a Movie Camera ~ 3
9. The Passion of Joan of Arc ~ 2
10. 8 1/2 ~ 4
11. Battleship Potemkin
12. L’Atalante
13. Breathless
14. Apocalypse Now ~ 3.5
15. Late Spring
16. Au hasard Balthazar
17. Seven Samurai
18. Persona
19. Mirror
20. Singin’ in the Rain
21. L’Avventura
22. Le Mépris
23. The Godfather ~ 3.5
24. Ordet
25. In the Mood for Love
26. Rashomon
27. Andrei Rublev
28. Mulholland Dr. ~ 3
29. Stalker
30. Shoah
31. The Godfather Part II ~ 3.5
32. Taxi Driver ~ 4
33. Bicycle Thieves
34. The General
35. Metropolis
36. Psycho ~ need to view again
37. Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
38. Sátántangó
39. The 400 Blows
40. La dolce vita ~ 3.5
41. Journey to Italy
42. Pather Panchali
43. Some Like It Hot ~4
44. Gertrud
45. Pierrot le fou
46. Play Time
47. Close-Up
48. The Battle of Algiers
49. Histoire(s) du cinéma
50. City Lights