The Best and Worst in Film- a discussion of the past 15 years

I would really like to discuss how Premiere Magazine ranked films and people in each of it's many categories, for the last 15 years. I thought this could work sort of like the AFI thread, where I would post a list (they are short) and then everyone could discuss.

Keep in mind that these choices were voted on by the general viewers, not necessarily all film buffs. Sometimes they go as far as to blatantly contradict themselves. BUT, this is part of what I'd like to discuss- the public view of films and acting.

Here is the first list:

Best Movie

1. Lord of the Rings

2. Schindler's List

3. Pulp Fiction

4. Moulin Rouge

5. Fight Club



-sj loves kevin spacey

 

I don't think any of those films besides Schilinders list are worthy of that list. I would have to put it like this:

1. Schilinders List- a REALLY good film. sad, but totally acurate and true.
2. The English Patient- Well writen film. Deserved more attention then it got.
3. The Lion King-(avoids tomatoes) yeah, it may be an animated film but still, all who watched it leared something.
4. Gladiator- Another great film in history. Russel Crowe did a great job and Ethan Hawk as Maximus was an outstanding performance
5. A Beatiful Mind- If you haven't seen this film, RENT IT! It was really sad, and really suprising too.

 

Best

Schindler's List
Saving Private Ryan
Braveheart
Goodfellas

Worst

Just about any "franchise", sequel or film replete with special effects and no plot...including TPM.

 

I don't think Lord of the Rings should have the top spot. Schindler's list is right up there and Moulin Rouge is placed about right. I'd move Pulp Fiction down and place The Insider with Al Pacino and Russel Crowe right above it and then it's about right.

 

Please remember to provide comments on your list as listing without explaining is for the JCC.

 

I don't know for sure how to comment on The Insider. It just is easily the best film of the last five years. It just is art.

Just look at it, hear it, feel it. It really can't be put into words.

If the image of Pacino saying goodbye into his cellular phone, standing waist deep in the ocean doesn't just hit you, I don't know. . .

 

1. LOTR- It's a great movie, but I'm not sure it's the best of the last 15 years.

2. Schindler's List- A fantastic movie. Certainly worthy to be on this list!

3. Pulp Fiction- Never seen it

4. Moulin Rouge- Never seen it

5. Fight Club- One of my favourites. I think this film is fantastically done in every way, and worthy of the list. But it won't be on everyone's, because it's meant to be controversial.

Next list:
Worst Movie

1. Freddie Got Fingered

2. Pearl Harbor

3. Battlefield Earth

4. Glitter

5. Titanic



-sj loves kevin spacey

 

1. Freddie Got Fingered

2. Pearl Harbor

3. Battlefield Earth

4. Glitter

5. Titanic

Pearl Harbor and Titanic weren't perfect, but they weren't *that* bad. Master of Disguise was more awful than any of those movies. And Michael Bay's Armageddon was far worse than Pearl Harbor.

 

1. Lord of the Rings: Best.

2. Schindler's List: Amazing

3. Pulp Fiction: Hilarious and Great

4. Moulin Rouge: CRAP

5. Fight Club: Perfect.

BLAMMO!!

 

Pulp Fiction is indeed amazingly funny. Bracing.

I'm proud to say I've seen none of the worst except Titanic, which is a bit of a "hmm" choice. I seriously take issue with it being on the worst of the last fifteen years list.

Worse than Van Sant's Psycho? No.

Worse than Jason X? I'm betting not.

Worse than 101 Dalmations? Um, no, not by any stretch of the imagination.

Titanic is far from any where near the bottom five of the last fifteen years.

 

I guess we are going back to 87' if my math serves me correctly.

BEST

Lethal Weapon
Batman
Terminator 2
Silence of the Lambs
Jurassic Park
L.A. Confidental
Braveheart
Apollo 13
TPM
Matrix
Lord of the Rings
Shindler's List(the greatest movie ever made)
Saving Private Ryan

Worst

Titanic
American Beauty
Showgirls

I'll think of more but right now my brain is not working.

 

A few best:

Schindler's List: I don't think I need to mention reasons.

Saving Private Ryan: Ditto for this one. Speaks for itself.

Au Revoir Les Enfants: Yes, it's a foreign film, but I happen to think it's incredible. So sue me.

Terminator 2: Repeated viewings make it that much better.

The Lion King: *also ducks projectiles* No matter that it was animated, it had an excellent, and for Disney, pretty mature story about a parent's love, revenge, loss, and reclaiming one's place in life.


Worst:

Independence Day: Lame-ass plot disguised with über cool FX. Repeated viewings are not advised.

Battlefield Earth: Just the trailer was enough, thank you.

There are more in both categories, but my brain is cheesyfying.

 

`Ethan Hawk as Maximus'

Ooooh, got to step in here and say it wasn't him. Can't spell his name, but he's in Signs.

Anyone feel it's somewhat stupid to say what is the absolute best and worst in art?

 

Joaquin Phoenix?

 

I look at films in one of two genres (or both, very rarely)

The First is Romance, I mean the literary defintion. A comedy movie would probaly be romance, a drama and a love story.

The second if Action: Agian I dont mean the defintion that the media uses, the real meaing of Action (in my mind) is a quest, it is a journey.

Some movies are hard to judge, they arent really both but its not for sure, like A Beatiful Mind. I wouldnt know where to put that one.

 

I don't really like Titanic, because I think the story is stupid, but I wouldn't have put it on the worsts list. It's a well put together film, and an amazing production masterpiece.

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

A film which I would defidentally include in the top five best films of the past fifteen years list, which has yet to have been mentioned, is 1997's As Good As It Gets staring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. The film featured extrodinary acting, and had a lot of heart. Obviously, I would have given Good the Oscar in '97, and I believe that the Academy would have as well if it hadn't been for that doomed ship crossing the Atlantic....





Mace Windy,
instant poster, gust add wind!

 

Yes, that was an excellent movie, more worthy of the Oscar than Titanic. I also think LA Confidential is a masterful throw back to classic film noir, and could have easily taken home the gold as well.

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

I saw "As Good as it Gets," and I honestly didn't get it. It seemed rather "eh" to me. Titanic far and away deserved Best Picture over that.

 

1. LOTR- Great film. To me it's up there in terms of best ever.

2. Schindler's List- Awesome. The last great Speilberg film.

3. Pulp Fiction- While I like Resevior(sp?) Dogs better, this is a great film. On the downside, though it did re-launch the career of John Travolta, who IMO was only good in this movie. Oh and parts of Get Shorty.

4. Moulin Rouge- Hated it. Baz Luhrman should be shot for coming up with the idea of re-recording pop songs to make them sound worse. It's all about the Schmaltz, which I can tolerate, but when your characters sing (and horribly in the case of Kidman and McGregor) So damn much, I just had to turn it off.

5. Fight Club- It's OK. I still don't see what the big deal was. Se7en was a better Fincher film.

Worst Movie

1. Freddie Got Fingered-Never seen it.

2. Pearl Harbor- Not even amazing ILM effects could save this film.

3. Battlefield Earth- Yeah it's horrible.

4. Glitter- Never seen it.

5. Titanic- I recently saw this for the first time last month. It's OK. It certainly doesn't belong on this list. i think the backlash on this film was inevitable. It was SO successful that many got jealous. Take away the ship, set it in a club in France and have them sing horrible pop tunes and you've got Moulin Rogue.

 

While I don't agree with Knight's post, I am grateful to see that there are some other members out there with enough sense to see that Titanic is a good film. While the story did not really appeal to me, nor apparently, many of you, the direction was flawless. Cameron did an amazing job. Leo, as much as we all seem to dislike him, played a character that was, surprisingly, likable. The cinematography was beautiful.

Titanic belongs in the worst five films list? Titanic deserves to be mentioned with films such as Freddy Got Fingered? Please....




Mace Windy,
instant poster, gust add wind!

 

Yodave27, you seem to only like three and one film you haven't even seen. That makes for an odd list you must admit.

`played a character that was, surprisingly, likable.'

Surprisingly? How so?

And regarding Titanics success, has Anyone seen The Sound of Music? Biggest film of its' year and won Best Picture. Did it deserve it?

 

Whilst I agree with many of your posts (I can admit that I've never seen Titanic), I must conceed that Schindler's List was brilliant, yet not entirely accurate. The purpose it served was noble and the film making brilliant, yet it cannot be taken as a historical resource, rather as an interpretation of an historical event. In the mean time:

1. Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels (Guy Richie is a genius)
2. Schindler's list (see above)
3. Pulp Fiction
4. Silence of the Lambs
5. Saving Private Ryan

Edit: Apologies, missed the Last 15 years bit

 

Yodave27, you seem to only like three and one film you haven't even seen. That makes for an odd list you must admit.

Well, it's not mine, it's a magazines. IMO, they got three films right: LOTR, Schindler's List and Pulp Fiction. Although I like Resevior Dogs better, you can't deny the impact that Pulp Fiction had on filmmaking. I like Fight Club, but it's not the fifth best movie of the last 15 years. And Moulin Rouge was horrible.

As for the worst list, I agree with all except the inclusion of Titanic. I must also agree with Windy and praise Cameron for his superb direction. He should show Michael Bay a thing or two.

 

Gotcha. And you're right about Mick Bay. His best thing is still MeatLoafs videoclip I'll Do Anything for Love.