Interference's 50 Favorite Films

[LMP]

This is what you've all been waiting for folks. The votes have been tallied, hopefully I didn't screw things up. Each movie is accompanied by their ending point value. In the event of a tie in points, the tie was broken by how many appearances that movie made on a list (as noted in parentheses by the tied movies). If that was still a tie, it was by the highest placement on a single list (seen as an extension on some parentheticals).

I had to combine Kill Bill into one movie because some people had it on their list as one movie, plus it made sense to count it as a whole movie anyways.

1. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back - 277 pts
2. Forrest Gump - 206 pts
3. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope - 202 pts
4. Pulp Fiction - 169 pts
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - 160 pts (10)
6. Back to the Future - 160 pts (8)
7. The Shawshank Redemption - 153 pts
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - 148 pts
9. Schindler's List - 137 pts
10. American Beauty - 128 pts
11. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - 127 pts
12. The Godfather - 123 pts
13. The Big Lebowski - 121 pts
14. Raiders of the Lost Ark - 116 pts
15. Braveheart - 100 pts (8)
16. The Godfather Part II - 100 pts (5)
17. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi - 97 pts
18. 2001: A Space Odyssey - 94 pts
19. Titanic - 92 pts
20. Almost Famous - 91 pts (5 - one #1 pick)
21. Gone with the Wind - 91 pts (5)
22. The Silence of the Lambs - 90 pts
23. Monty Python and the Holy Grail - 84 pts (5 - two #1 picks)
24. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - 84 pts (5)
25, Little Miss Sunshine - 83 pts (7)
26. V for Vendetta - 83 pts (6)
27. Batman Begins - 81 pts
28. Apocalypse Now - 79 pts
29. Children of Men - 76 pts
30. About a Boy - 75 pts
31. The Breakfast Club - 73 pts
32. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - 69 pts
33. Dead Poet’s Society - 68 pts (5 - one #1 pick)
34. Moulin Rouge - 68 pts (5 - one #1 pick)
35. Léon (The Professional) - 66 pts (4)
36. Before Sunset - 66 pts (3 - one #1 pick)
37. Airplane! - 66 pts (3)
38. Lost in Translation - 65 pts (5)
39. Monty Python’s The Life of Brian - 65 pts (4)
40. Before Sunrise - 65 pts (3)
41. Terminator 2: Judgement Day - 64 pts (4)
42. Philadelphia - 64 pts (3)
43. A Clockwork Orange - 64 pts (2)
44. Rocky - 63 pts (4)
45. Kill Bill (Vols. 1 & 2) - 63 pts (2)
46. Blade Runner - 62 pts (5)
47. The Royal Tenenbaums - 62 pts (4)
48. The Wizard of Oz - 61 pts
49. Office Space - 58 pts (5)
50. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 58 pts (4 - one # pick)

I really thought the Lord of the Rings movie would do better, they were on more lists than anything else, but it was the placement that killed them.

The next list will be Favorite Actors / Actresses / Directors and it will be started sometime tomorrow.

Mods, can you sticky this thread and the next one, please?

 

[impy13]

Re: all the Star Wars and LOTR love


I work with a bunch of nerds.

 

[LMP]

I'm surprised The Life Aquatic (#24) was ranked the best Wes Anderson film. It's my favorite but most seem to place The Royal Tenenbaums (#47) or Rushmore (not even on the list ) higher. I'm sure it had to do with the vote tallying though.

I'll probably do a breakdown of Actors and Directors with the most movies on the list, too.

 

[Lila64]

I still didn't care for Life Aquatic. c'est la vie

 

[Queen Bee]

I'm really surprised to see that Forrest Gump came in at number 2

 

[LMP]

I'm really surprised to see that Forrest Gump came in at number 2

If it was on a list, it was high up. And I said it was overrated before.

Actors / Actresses with the Most Appearances:

Harrison Ford (7)
Cate Blanchett (4)
David Prowse (4)
Hugo Weaving (4)
Robert Duvall (3)
Ethan Hawke (3)
Bill Murray (3)
Talia Shire (3)

The Godfather/Star Wars/LOTR inclusions helped bloat the list of actors, especially the Top 4. I'd have to include the entire cast of those movies. And David Prowse was Darth Vader (the guy in the suit) and Julian, the bodyguard in A Clockwork Orange.

Directors with the Most Appearances:

Peter Jackson (3)
Francis Ford Coppola (3)
Steven Spielberg (3)
---
Wes Anderson (2)
James Cameron (2)
Jonathan Demme (2)
Victor Fleming (2)
Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones (2)
Stanley Kubrick (2)
Richard Linklater (2)
Quentin Tarantino (2)
Robert Zemeckis (2)

A lot of one-offs in the director category. I'm still surprised Tim Burton or Martin Scorcese aren't anywhere to be found on this list.

 

[Lancemc]

I am actually genuinely surprised at how good that list turned out. Aside from Gump, but that movie is so ridiculously loved by the people that actually love it, that it almost makes sense, given the small size of this experiment.

And while I don't think either trilogy is truly worthy of the praise it gets, it's still nice to see Star Wars beat the crap out of LOTR.

 

[intedomine]

How did all that lord of the rings/star wars garbage dominate the top 20? It'd be cool if they weren't there...

 

[Dalton]

I can't believe Vision Quest didn't make it on there.

 

[No spoken words]

I am actually genuinely surprised at how good that list turned out.

I love posts like this.

 

[ultravioletluvv]

How did all that lord of the rings/star wars garbage dominate the top 20? It'd be cool if they weren't there...

I completely agree. It's so predictable though. I think those movies must have brainwashing effects on people. I mean, I thought the LOTR movies were well done, but I wouldn't say all three of them are the best of all time! Maybe the 3rd one should be on the list. But whatever. People love trilogies.

 

[No spoken words]

The bigger crime is Forrest Gump being #2. But, this is about a specific group of people's tastes, not a cadre of film critics opining away on films they love. If you cannot sit back and enjoy a film like The Empire Strikes Back, then perhaps someone brainwashed you.

 

[ultravioletluvv]

^^ Well, i guess i'd have to say the same for you and Forrest Gump.

 

[Tiger Edge]

I love how some of the very people in this thread completely forgot about this not being "THE BEST MOVIES EVER" and instead being your favorite movies ever. Makes you wonder what kind of criteria they used in making their own lists.

I'm personally overly surprised at the Forrest Gump hate. Aside from it being a story about Forrest, it was almost like a history lesson/nostalgia machine. I wouldn't know who Captain Kangaroo was if it weren't for Forrest Gump. Or a lot of other pop cultural things for that matter.
The Watergate scene

I'd also like to mention that Miami Beach has their very own "Bubba Gump Shrimp Factory" that's really a restaurant. Very cool.

 

[ultravioletluvv]

^^ I've been to that Bubba Gumps!

 

[Lancemc]

I love how people still can't handle other people criticizing someone's opinion. What did we all expect when this list was posted? Everyone to just look at it and say "Hmm, oh yes, I can see how this is a nice collection of a bunch of random people's opinions rolled into one nice little list, " and move on? The point was to discuss it. I thought there were going to be a lot more movies on here that I didn't like. There aren't that many. I was surprised.

And yes, I do think the LOTR films are pretty average.

 

[Tiger Edge]

Right back at you. I don't care if you hate Forrest Gump. In fact, I'd just about expect you to hate it. I was commenting on the other people's opinions on Forrest Gump. Including Queen Bee. Notice how I said commenting. I wasn't taken aback. I wasn't crying. I was commenting on it. I'd point out your own hypocrisy in your post, but I'd rather let you find it on your own. Like a scavenger hunt!

As a reference on the other issue:

>> RIGHT HERE >>

I mean, I thought the LOTR movies were well done, but I wouldn't say all three of them are the best of all time!

 

[LMP]

I love how some of the very people in this thread completely forgot about this not being "THE BEST MOVIES EVER" and instead being your favorite movies ever. Makes you wonder what kind of criteria they used in making their own lists.

I'm personally overly surprised at the Forrest Gump hate. Aside from it being a story about Forrest, it was almost like a history lesson/nostalgia machine. I wouldn't know who Captain Kangaroo was if it weren't for Forrest Gump. Or a lot of other pop cultural things for that matter.
The Watergate scene

I'd also like to mention that Miami Beach has their very own "Bubba Gump Shrimp Factory" that's really a restaurant. Very cool.

There's a Bubba Gump in Orlando, too

I like Forrest Gump, but I don't like it as much as everyone else seems to I guess. It's definitely a good movie, I guess I'm a little bitter that it won Best Picture over Pulp Fiction or Shawshank, but I'm a nerd like that.

And if you can't see LOTR or Star Wars topping a list of FAVORITE MOVIES, then you should seek professional help.

 

[Tiger Edge]

I'd pick Shawshank over Gump anyday.

The Oscars are a huge joke anyway. Any organization that would give Tommy Lee Jones a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for U.S. Marshals over Ralph Fiennes' performance as Amon Goeth loses all credibility to me.
Tommy Lee Jones can only play one character: The angry old cop.
At least he plays it well, but Ralph >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Tommy

Orlando

How I miss, thee, Orlando.

 

[Lancemc]

Pla, I wasn't speaking directly at you with that post, but yours was part of that. But I apologize, because I initially misread your post on page one. I noticed that after I already made my last post, but I didn't really care enough what you would think to edit it.

As for the LOTR films, yeah, they are pretty average, as far as award-winning films go. I mean, they aren't completely middle-of-the-road summer blockbuster average, but when I say they were well-made, I mean I can appreciate the technical accomplishments of the films, as well as the impressive production planning that went into filming them. I do however, feel Jackson is a mediocre-at-best director, and those films have enormous problems with them that all stem from his inability to direct such films. King Kong (2005) is the perfect showcase for that.

And for the record, I don't hate Forrest Gump. I never said that. But it's definitely not one of my favorites, and I'm still a little pissed that it won best picture in 1994.

 

[LMP]

I'd pick Shawshank over Gump anyday.

The Oscars are a huge joke anyway. Any organization that would give Tommy Lee Jones a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for U.S. Marshals over Ralph Fiennes' performance as Amon Goeth loses all credibility to me.
Tommy Lee Jones can only play one character: The angry old cop.
At least he plays it well, but Ralph >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Tommy

Completely. Muriel's Wedding had a nom over Ed Wood?

Forrest Gump over Pulp Fiction / Shawshank? Pulp Fiction is only widely recognized as one of the most influential films of the late 20th century. Some call it the Tarantino generation for God's sakes. Shawshank is just fucking awesome, it gets better with age.

Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan? Words cannot describe my level of contempt for that.

Annie Hall over Star Wars? This I can partly understand because Annie Hall is one of the best romantic comedies ever, but Star Wars is one of the most important movies ever made.

Chariots of Fire over Raiders of the Lost Ark? Typical.

Children of Men NOT WINNING A SINGLE AWARD. Not even Best Cinemetography? I don't think they watched the same movie.

Soon it will be Crash over Brokeback, but whatever.

You're 100% right about Tommy Lee Jones over Ralph Fiennes.

But this isn't about the Oscars, it's about our collective taste in movies, and I really do like most of that list. I might even check out About a Boy.

 

[Lancemc]

Worst snub of recent years is still Adrian "The Nose" Brody for the Pianist over Daniel Day "Jesus Hath Returned as an Actor" Lewis for Gangs of New York.

 

[LMP]

Or the fact Kate Winslet hasn't won anything yet.

 

[ultravioletluvv]

Worst snub of recent years is still Adrian "The Nose" Brody for the Pianist over Daniel Day "Jesus Hath Returned as an Actor" Lewis for Gangs of New York.

I'm just glad Jack Nicholson didn't win that year. He was supposed to be the favorite. So, when Adrian Brody won, it was a nice surprise.

But yeah, the Oscars in general are a joke. Hey, we should start a thread on that! I've got a bone to pick with Denzel Washington (as much as i love him) winning for Training Day! There were way better performances that year!

 

[LMP]

I'm just glad Jack Nicholson didn't win that year. He was supposed to be the favorite. So, when Adrian Brody won, it was a nice surprise.

But yeah, the Oscars in general are a joke. Hey, we should start a thread on that! I've got a bone to pick with Denzel Washington (as much as i love him) winning for Training Day! There were way better performances that year!

Sean Penn in I Am Sam. That also caused him to get the sympathy vote over Bill Murray's best role ever in Lost in Translation. I want to get on the Academy and vote for people who deserve to win.

 

[UberBeaver]

The Oscars lost all credibility when Titanic was nominated. When it won they became nothing more than a waste of time and just another place for the rich and self important mediocrity to pat themselves on the back.

 

[Screwtape2]

Or the fact Kate Winslet hasn't won anything yet.

That is one of the greatest crimes of the last twenty years. Kate Winslet is one if not the greatest actress of our generation.

 

[ultravioletluvv]

Sean Penn in I Am Sam. That also caused him to get the sympathy vote over Bill Murray's best role ever in Lost in Translation. I want to get on the Academy and vote for people who deserve to win.

Yep, it's always about the sympathy vote. People never seem to win when they're supposed to. Denzel was way better when he was nominated for The Hurricane, but I can't remember who won that year.

 

[ultravioletluvv]

That is one of the greatest crimes of the last twenty years. Kate Winslet is one if not the greatest actress of our generation.

I agree. I think she's in line for the next sympathy vote. Then again, she may end up like Peter O'Toole. 0/8.

 

[Screwtape2]

Yep, it's always about the sympathy vote. People never seem to win when they're supposed to.

Like Martin Scorsese last year.