Your Top Ten Movies Of All Time

@Crowthorne Whilst I am not a great fan of silent movies in general, the works of Harold Lloyd I do love to watch. Jackie Chan I read has been inspired by some of his stunts. The clock face stunt in which Chan paid tribute to Lloyd in his film 'Project A'



I am a big Laurel and Hardy fan and own all their films and shorts.
 
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I recently saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes... that was so good. I now see the hype behind this movie and am excited to watch the sequel.
 
Pootle said:
@Crowthorne Whilst I am not a great fan of silent movies in general, the works of Harold Lloyd I do love to watch. Jackie Chan I read has been inspired by some of his stunts. The clock face stunt in which Chan paid tribute to Lloyd in his film 'Project A'
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I am a big Laurel and Hardy fan and own all their films and shorts.
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Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd are top, closely followed by Harry Langdon, Snub Pollard and Gale Henry (and that's just the comics!) (Edit to add Charley Chase, how could I forget him?!). Haven't seen much Laurel and Hardy yet. As much as I can appreciate Chaplin from a historical perspective, there's something about him that I just don't like.

I've found to my surprise that I actually prefer silent film, it's a different medium all its own that just works with my brain.
 
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Crowthorne said:
As much as I can appreciate Chaplin from a historical perspective, there's something about him that I just don't like.
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Interesting you should say this. I don't find him funny at all and there is something else I can't put my finger on that I dislike about him. Strange isn't it.
 
I've got a massive soft spot for at least one silent film, Metropolis by Fritz Lang - the heavily-edited versions available throughout the 20th century aren't all that great due to how much material was cut and/or lost, with resulting impact on how understandable the film even *is* , and the Georgio Moroder version in the 1980s is enjoyable for the sheer cheese value..... but after the full original version was rediscovered (with only around 5 minutes degraded beyond the possibility of restoration) in Argentina around a decade ago, the film can once again be enjoyed fully. It is literally the origin of so many of the tropes we take for granted in the genres of science-fiction, fantasy, steampunk, cyberpunk and dystopia..... and it is gloriously cheesy, yet also though-provoking and affecting.
 
I've never really appreciated silent film or thought it was at all funny. However last week I watched the 2018 biopic Stan and Ollie, a wonderful film from start to finish and superbly acted (the two main characters aren't the only comedy duo in the film). For me the story centred around the theme of enduring friendship. I'd recommend it to anyone, whether they are a fan of silent film or not (BTW it's currently free on BBC iPlayer).

To be honest the film still did not manage to turn me into a fan of silent film in general, and I don't believe that was the film's goal, but what it did do was make me realise how utterly charming, talented and hardworking Laurel and Hardy were and that they can still put a smile on your face even today.
 
If anyone is interested in investigating Silent film, you can't go much wrong starting with Buster Keaton's short films, One Week is a great place to start, as is Cops. Watching silent film takes a lot of concentration, so it's best to work up to full feature-length films; don't do what I did and jump in early with The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, an excellent film but at 2.5 hours, very long and a bit exhausting!
 
Laurel and Hardy started in silent movies and had the gags for that. Then when sound was available they combined the silent movie skills with great jokes, and phrases. Always watch in black and white!

This is an old favourite.
 
Benosaurus said:
My top ten, in no particular order...

1. The Dark Knight (2008)
2. Apocalypto (2006)
3. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
5. Cast Away (2000)
6. Jurassic Park (1993)
7. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
8. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
9. The Jungle Book (live action 1942 version)
10. Goodnight Mister Tom (1998)

Notable mentions: Predator (1987), Titanic (1997), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Casino Royale (2006), LOTR 1 & 3 (2001 & 2003), True Grit (1969).
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After two and a bit years since my original post, I hope it's ok if I change my list a bit...

I've removed The Poseidon Adventure completely as I realised it was the only film in my list that I'd not seen since I was a child, so decided to re-watch it recently and found it boring at the start. I also realised that Titanic is just a way better 'boat-sinky' film.

I've also removed Goodnight Mister Tom because I suddenly remembered a film I never should've forgotten in the first place, which should always have been cemented into my top 10.

My latest top ten, in no particular order...

1. The Dark Knight (2008)
2. Apocalypto (2006)
3. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
5. Cast Away (2000)
6. Jurassic Park (1993)
7. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
8. Titanic (1997)
9. The Jungle Book (live action 1942 version)
10. Oliver! (1968)

Notable mentions: The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Casino Royale (2006), LOTR 1 & 3 (2001 & 2003), Goodnight Mister Tom (1998).
 
My list is still:
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Princess Mononoke
My Neighbor Totoro
Godzilla KOTM
Kong: Skull Island
Godzilla 2014
Pokemon The First Movie
Godzilla vs King Ghidorah
Die Hard
Jurassic World
 
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