Best movie ever made

Exactly what Kubrick and Clarke wanted -- not nearly as objective as the novelette it was taken from, "The Sentinel." Kubrick didn't want to tell the traditional "story." This is a big story told mostly in images with some connecting dialogue and a plot twist that develops into the trip to infinity. Considering how they made that sequence without any CGI, it is without a doubt a phenominal achievement.

Best movie ever made is a tad general....maybe this should be divided into genres.

Sight and Sound magazine takes a poll every three years for the top ten and those are the critics and directors who know movies like the back of their hand. I think this actually should be like we've had in the past perhaps -- your favorite movie, not an opinion on the best movie ever made. They may be one in the same but when proclaiming that one film is the best ever made, it has to be subjective based most often on not really seeing every film made but usually those that are considered classics.

I also think we forgot to welcome Bugger to A2K and the Film Forum. Welcome!

Many movies are great for different reasons. Some of the most lavishly produced were turkeys, while some cheapies were really great. I have many favorites, but I have no idea which were the greatest of all.
I will say that many of the so called greatest films ever made leave me cold. Apocolypse Now - After Marlon Brando showed up I literally passed out til it was over. 2001 - I enjoyed parts of it, but particularly the final segments were not just boringly overdone; all those racing lights and whatnot were tiresomely repetitive. I have not seen any Godfather films. Dr Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia - gorgeously filmed, but I did not enjoy them at all. I don't say this just to diss anybody else's choices. Merely being honest.

But did you see "2001" on the big screen -- it was designed to be seen in the Super Panavision Cinerama I saw it screened in at the Pacific Cinerama Theater. On the small screen, the impact of the imagery just loses nearly all of the impact. On the large curve screen, it was a fantastic trip. Okay, I'll admit at that college age in L.A. we were all a bit high!

"Lawrence of Arabia" also suffers from being shown on the small screen and "Dr. Zhivago" has its great moments but suffered from a bit too much Hollywood type polishing. The grittiness was even attractive. I haven't seen the PBS version being shown this week. Not seen "The Godfather" films? You've got a date at the rental video store or check out the cable channels who show it several times a year (number I and II). You're in for a treat -- it was the last film, incidentally, in three strip Technicolor and the rich browns and golden tones give it kind of an incongruous glossiness like these guys are living a kind of an elegant and attractive life -- it pulls you into the milieu like you are believing this is all normal behaviour. "The Sopranos" basically accomplishes the same thing.

lightwizard
I saw the films mentioned in theaters when they were new. How large the screen, etc., I no longer recall.
The Godfather films have been so durable that I do intend to see them soon.

I've never been one to listen to critics too much. Since they see EVERY movie, I think they get a bit burned out, and consequently I've seen bad critic reviews to movies I've really liked.

Are you familiar with:

http://www.mrqe.com/

You type in a movie, and the site brings up a bunch of reviews for them from many sources. Often, you see vast differences of opinion. I think that in addition to the personal preference of the reviewer, you need to consider the venue in which he is writing. Each reviewer is attempting to reach a target audience, and I would expect that their reviews might very well reflect a certain bias.

"Over the Top" with Sylvester Stallone.
"Cool as Ice" with Vanilla Ice.
"Weekend at Bernies Part II"
"Police Academy Part 1,345,384"

Both excellent films, Lightwizard, but "Grand Illusion" is certainly not a silent film (btw, have you seen the restored version of "Metropolis"? -- it's amazing).

I seem to recall, when the AFI came out with its list of the top 100 American movies, that a similar list had been concocted in the 1950s or '60s, and that King Vidor's "Big Parade" had made the top ten. Granted, the critics who came up with that list couldn't include movies made in the 1970s or later, but still it's interesting that the AFI list had only 4 silent movies: "Birth of a Nation" (no. 44), "The Gold Rush" (no. 74), "City Lights" (no. 76), and "Modern Times" (no. 81) (the last two, however, had recorded soundtracks iIrc, so they weren't, technically, "silent"). Film critics, apparently, have extremely short memories (really, "E.T." at no. 25? "Dances with Wolves" at no. 75??? What were they thinking?).

In my not so humble opinion, here are some more truly great silent movies: "Battleship Potemkin," "Intolerance," F.W. Murnau's "Faust," "Wings," "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," "Safety Last," "The General," and "Greed."

Joe: I don't know why I put down "Grand Illusion" --entering posts at work with all the interuptions (I do have to occassionally do some business! LOL) get one's mind off track sometimes. I just bought the restored "Metropolis" and the special feature showing how they performed the restoration is really fascinating. The restoration is amazing and I discussed it in the current film score thread by Phoenix. I meant to enter "Battleship Potemkin" rather than "Grand Illusion," which would still be on a favorite 25 film list.

If you are talking about AFI's lists, they are not compiled strictly from film critics but a somewhat similar voting body to the Oscars and including film critics and historians, thus giving a rather unusual result. Sight and Sound does show, I believe, the subsequent list to 25 films voted on by directors and one by film critics when it releases its top ten. It's always interesting to see the difference. Directors, as I remember, placed "The Godfather" as No. 1 last year and critics "Citizen Kane."

I can certainly endorse your lists of great silents.

I hope Wilso realized by my comments about the critics list that I don't put complete faith in what the critics say and, as Phoenix suggests, going through IMDb for their outside reviews, using MRQE or Metacritic give one a pretty good profile on a film. Whether there are films that are almost universally panned that someone enjoys is another list -- guilty pleasures. It may be time soon to start that thread again (it's now archived from late last year or early this year).

Hmmmm. I need to separate the favorites from the bests. Among the best (and also one of my favorites) is The Maltese Falcon. Perfect cast. Great story. Good mystery.

I'm also a Chaplin fan. It's hard to pick the best from among his films. Maybe The Gold Rush, just because of the shoe-eating scene. However, City Lights and Modern Times can't be ruled out.

Although I think that Citzen Kane was outstanding cinema, I didn't like it very much.

Shawshank was awesome.

Rarely does a movie move me (say that three times quick!) the way that one did.

Struggling through On Golden Pond right now. Just saw the play in KC with Don Knotts, and the play was wonderful. Knotts played the character a bit differently the Fonda did, and I think that's what's turning me off to the movie. But I have a feeling once I get through the parts I'm having trouble with, it'll be good.

I enjoyed Casablanca. Nothing happens in that movie, but it was so tense. . . the back drop of the war and Nazi's and Allies. . . what a mix! Masterfully done.

But, I wouldn't be a Trekkie if ST:TWOK wasn't my favorite movie.

"Star Treck: First Contact" is my favorite but just barely over "Wrath of Khan."

I believe Titanic was mediocre for its human characters, but brilliant for its portrayal of the ship. I love that ship as much as any film I've seen. I don't know if it belongs on any great lists, but I will be watching it a time or two in the future.

Clockwork Orange. Rape, ultraviolence and Beethoven. What more could you want from a movie.

The Wizard Of Oz. Every childs first horror flick.

Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead. Best dialogue, ever.

I must say that every silent film I've ever seen has bored me to tears.

Welcome, Adrian, to A2K and the film forum:

I also love the Rossini electronic rendition by Wendy Carlos in "Clockwork Orange" backing up the violent scenes. Just plain brilliant.

As far as dialogue, I would also give that to "All About Eve" or "The Lion in Winter."

Silent films are difficult to watch -- so few of them have a very high entertainment value, save Charlie Chaplin. The amazing visuals of "Metropolis" and "Intolerance" are certainly entertaining.

edgarblythe -- "Titanic" is a special effects masterpiece and on the big screen, it's overpowering. The script and dialogue are not that awful -- Cameron admitted himself that he'd made a 200 M chick flick. The story is Dickensian but the men in the audience aren't going to be swept away by the sentiment. The answer is that only "A Night to Remember" has really come close to a definitive film about the disaster while "Titanic" came very close to the scope of the disaster. Cameron's attention to detail including even recreating the exact dinnerware on the table is really astounding. If we're going to judge the best picture for box office, guess which one wins.

Just for a sort of reference, here is the BFI Sight and Sound Magazine top ten critics and directors poll link:

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/

"Save The Tiger" - I love love love that one even though it is depressing.

One of the few movies that withstands repeated watchings for me (laugh if you want to) is "The Princess Bride".

Hi, BOOM! Never could get into "Save the Tiger" and in the same vein and again with Jack Lemmon, "Glengarry Glenross" is a superior film.