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Welcome to the presentation of the best 100 films of the 1990s. After almost 6 months of watching, listing and collating, we've finally arrived at the moment of truth.
Voter turnout was a little higher than I expected, which is great, and these are our 15 members of the jury:
Greg
Harold Wexler
BillAdama
John
Romain
Henrik
Gillingham
Antonius
Miguel
OtisRedding
Stephan
Dan M
Michel
beefsupreme
Petri
Without further ado, let's start this off with the worst of the best:
100. Philadelphia
Director: Jonathan Demme
Points: 432
Year rank: #10 of 1993
Fans: None
Comment(s): While the rest of the bottom 5 is rather close together, within 14 points in fact, this film is a consensus loser 20 points behind #99. (Stephan)
99. Dances With Wolves
Director: Kevin Costner
Points: 452
Year rank: #8 of 1990
Fans: None
Comment(s):
98. Good Will Hunting
Director: Gus Van Sant
Points: 458
Year rank: #5 of 1997
Fans: Gillingham (25)
Comment(s): An old favorite of mine. But it hasn't aged that well. Still definitely worth a look though. (Gillingham)
97. The Rock
Director: Michael Bay
Points: 466
Year rank: #10 of 1996
Fans: beefsupreme (10), John (12)
Comment(s): So many factors should make this movie terrible but it's really, really good. One of the best action films Ive ever seen and I rarely like action movies. (John)
96. The Full Monty
Director: Peter Cattaneo
Points: 468
Year rank: #8 of 1997
Fans: Henrik (16)
Comment(s):
I'm surprised Philadelphia did that badly. I would think the 'social issue drama' bloc would have at least pushed it into the 60s or so.
The other four aren't so surprising.
I agree Bill, but as you will notice there are quite a few films that are lower than you would expect them to be. And of course the opposite is also true. Also, I just realized I forgot to add the number of voters in the first five. They are, respectively, 12, 12, 14, 12 and 12.
95. The Godfather Part III
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Points: 470
Year rank: #6 of 1990
Voters: 15
Fans: Stephan (16), OtisRedding (18)
Comment(s): By far the lowest ranked film that everyone has seen, one of 14. (Stephan)
94. JFK
Director: Oliver Stone
Points: 474
Year rank: #10 of 1991
Voters: 13
Fans: John (13)
Comment(s): True or false it still makes for an enjoyable film. Everybody loves a good conspiracy theory. (John)
93. Jurassic Park
Director: Steven Spielberg
Points: 476
Year rank: #9 of 1993
Voters: 13
Fans: beefsupreme (9), John (20)
Comment(s):
92. Glengarry Glen Ross
Director: James Foley
Points: 480
Year rank: #4 of 1992
Voters: 14
Fans: Miguel (20)
Comment(s): I thought 'Gil' from the Simpsons was an original character. I guess not. (BillAdama)
91. Malcolm X
Director: Spike Lee
Points: 481
Year rank: #6 of 1992
Voters: 12
Fans: BillAdama (17)
Comment(s): Watching this film made me see other Spike Lee films differently. Without context it's easy to miss the intellectual component of films like Do The Right Thing and American History X. Once you have a better idea of Spike Lee's views on race relations, it's easier to appreciate his other films about race politics. (BillAdama)
I'm gonna keep this going at a decent speed for the first part of the unveiling. Good call there on AHX Harold, I didn't even spot it. It's part of the next batch, too.
90. Wayne's World
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Points: 490
Year rank: #7 of 1992
Voters: 12
Fans: beefsupreme (4), John (14)
Comment(s): Wayne's World is the only SNL sketch in history where they kept the material fresh instead of just recycling the same punchlines over and over. It's also the only good movie ever to come from SNL characters. Coincidence? (BillAdama)
89. American History X
Director: Tony Kaye
Points: 500
Year rank: #8 of 1998
Voters: 13
Fans: Stephan (21)
Comment(s):
88. The English Patient
Director: Anthony Minghella
Points: 504
Year rank: #9 of 1996
Voters: 12
Fans: Antonius (19), Miguel (21)
Comment(s):
87. The Crying Game
Director: Neil Jordan
Points: 507
Year rank: #8 of 1992
Voters: 10
Fans: None
Comment(s):
86. The Green Mile
Director: Frank Darabont
Points: 510
Year rank: #7 of 1999
Voters: 11
Fans: Miguel (6), Romain (24)
Comment(s):
85. Clerks
Director: Kevin Smith
Points: 523
Year rank: #7 of 1994
Voters: 12
Fans: Miguel (10), beefsupreme (17)
Comment(s):
84. The Player
Director: Robert Altman
Points: 525
Year rank: #5 of 1992
Voters: 13
Fans: None
Comment(s): The first yearly top 5 to show up. (Stephan)
83. Barton Fink
Director: Joel Coen
Points: 529
Year rank: #8 of 1991
Voters: 13
Fans: beefsupreme (11)
Comment(s):
82. Sling Blade
Director: Billy Bob Thornton
Points: 530
Year rank: #7 of 1996
Voters: 10
Fans: Henrik (18), Greg (21)
Comment(s):
81. Toy Story
Director: John Lassseter
Points: 530
Year rank: #8 of 1995
Voters: 13
Fans: OtisRedding (15), Miguel (24)
Comment(s): The first of quite a few films that are seemingly tied. However, if we look at the decimal numbers we see that Sling Blade has 529.58 and Toy Story 529.86. I won't show these decimals every time, but rest assured that the actual order is correct and there are no true ties. (Stephan)
80. Leaving Las Vegas
Director: Mike Figgis
Points: 534
Year rank: #3 of 1995
Voters: 13
Fans: Greg (10), Henrik (17), beefsupreme (19)
Comment(s):
79. Underground
Director: Emir Kusturica
Points: 538
Year rank: #6 of 1995
Voters: 11
Fans: Greg (24), Petri (25)
Comment(s): Foreign films did rather well, evidenced by the fact that the first one only shows up at #79. (Stephan)
78. Wild At Heart
Director: David Lynch
Points: 538
Year rank: #4 of 1990
Voters: 13
Fans: Petri (13), Antonius (21), Gillingham (23)
Comment(s):
77. Crumb
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Points: 539
Year rank: #10 of 1994
Voters: 9
Fans: Greg (11)
Comment(s): First film with fewer than 10 voters. (Stephan)
76. Les Amants du Pont-Neuf [The Lovers on the Bridge]
Director: Leos Carax
Points: 539
Year rank: #7 of 1991
Voters: 9
Fans: Petri (12)
Comment(s):
75. Saving Private Ryan
Director: Steven Spielberg
Points: 540
Year rank: #7 of 1998
Voters: 13
Fans: Stephan (11)
Comment(s):
74. The Sweet Hereafter
Director: Atom Egoyan
Points: 543
Year rank: #9 of 1997
Voters: 11
Fans: Greg (6)
Comment(s):
73. Delicatessen
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Points: 547
Year rank: #5 of 1991
Voters: 12
Fans: Miguel (18), Henrik (20), Dan M (24)
Comment(s):
72. Total Recall
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Points: 548
Year rank: #9 of 1990
Voters: 13
Fans: Miguel (3), beefsupreme (8)
Comment(s):
71. 阿飛正傳 [Days of Being Wild]
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Points: 554
Year rank: #10 of 1990
Voters: 8
Fans: BillAdama (10), Petri (21)
Comment(s):
70. Lone Star
Director: John Sayles
Points: 557
Year rank: #6 of 1996
Voters: 11
Fans: beefsupreme (18), Harold Wexler (21), Greg (23)
Comment(s):
69. Thelma & Louise
Director: Ridley Soctt
Points: 558
Year rank: #3 of 1991
Voters: 13
Fans: OtisRedding (17), BillAdama (23)
Comment(s): Thelma & Louise ranks among the most spoiled films in history. So, already knowing the plot and the ending, I didn't expect to get much out of it. But, it is really beautiful in the way it casts an escape from the law as an escape from the definition of a male dominated culture. (BillAdama)
68. Lost Highway
Director: David Lynch
Points: 558
Year rank: #6 of 1997
Voters: 11
Fans: Greg (12), Gillingham (13)
Comment(s): Creepy and elusive. Don't try to make sense of it, just let it go. (Gillingham)
67. Los amantes del círculo polar [The Lovers of the Arctic Circle]
Director: Julio Médem
Points: 558
Year rank: #9 of 1998
Voters: 9
Fans: Miguel (14), Gillingham (19)
Comment(s):
66. Heat
Director: Michael Mann
Points: 559
Year rank: #7 of 1995
Voters: 13
Fans: Stephan (15), Petri (23), beefsupreme (24)
Comment(s):
Not many surprises so far. Only that The Rock wasn't #100 and that people can put Total Recall in their top 10s.
65. Twelve Monkeys
Director: Terry Gilliam
Points: 560
Year rank: #4 of 1995
Voters: 13
Fans: Miguel (22), beefsupreme (25)
Comment(s):
64. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Director: James Cameron
Points: 563
Year rank: #6 of 1991
Voters: 13
Fans: beefsupreme (5), Stephan (25)
Comment(s):
63. もののけ姫 [Princess Mononoke]
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Points: 564
Year rank: #10 of 1999
Voters: 10
Fans: Antonius (10), Greg (15), Michel (21)
Comment(s): The animation is imaginative and beautiful, as it is with any Miyazaki film. Although, it kind of annoys me that characters, instead of having any sort of plan, just rush into the enemy stronghold headlong and only survive because they're so much better at fighting than everyone else. The lack of real forethought in the plotting categorizes it as more of a kids' film, to me. (BillAdama)
62. The Straight Story
Director: David Lynch
Points: 564
Year rank: #10 of 1999
Voters: 13
Fans: Stephan (14), Antonius (21), Greg (22)
Comment(s):
61. Edward Scissorhands
Director: Tim Burton
Points: 573
Year rank: #2 of 1990
Voters: 14
Fans: OtisRedding (3), Gillingham (16)
Comment(s): Far and away the lowest yearly #2. (Stephan)
60. La Double Vie de Véronique [The Double Life of Veronique]
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Points: 574
Year rank: #4 of 1991
Voters: 10
Fans: Petri (15), Romain (21)
Comment(s):
59. Dazed And Confused
Director: Richard Linklater
Points: 576
Year rank: #3 of 1993
Voters: 11
Fans: John (6), beefsupreme (7), Harold Wexler (11)
Comment(s): I'm a sucker for coming of age movies and this is one of the best. (John)
58. Dead Man
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Points: 577
Year rank: #10 of 1995
Voters: 11
Fans: Greg (4), Michel (4)
Comment(s):
57. Forrest Gump
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Points: 584
Year rank: #4 of 1994
Voters: 14
Fans: Stephan (10), John (15), Miguel (15), Henrik (19), Romain (22)
Comment(s):
56. The Truman Show
Director: Peter Weir
Points: 585
Year rank: #4 of 1998
Voters: 15
Fans: Henrik (11), John (22),
Comment(s):
Thanks for the countdown so far, Stephan. The Truman Show was my #10. My name has probably just been left off the list of fans, but I thought I'd mention it in case the movie didn't get the right amount of points. The rest of my top 20 is still in the running, so I'm pleased with the results so far.
Ah yes, I left it off accidentally indeed, but it did get the points.
55. Before Sunrise
Director: Richard Linklater
Points: 585
Year rank: #9 of 1995
Voters: 10
Fans: Petri (19), Gillingham (21), Henrik (25)
Comment(s):
54. Bad Lieutenant
Director: Abel Ferrara
Points: 591
Year rank: #9 of 1992
Voters: 11
Fans: Michel (3), Antonius (15), beefsupreme (15)
Comment(s):
53. Boogie Nights
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Points: 595
Year rank: #3 of 1997
Voters: 11
Fans: John (5), Harold Wexler (8)
Comment(s): I loved this as a teen because of the theme and now love it as an adult because of the amazing story. (John)
52. La Promesse
Director: Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
Points: 598
Year rank: #8 of 1996
Voters: 7
Fans: Antonius (14)
Comment(s):
51. 重慶森林 [Chungking Express]
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Points: 603
Year rank: #8 of 1994
Voters: 10
Fans: BillAdama (4), Petri (19)
Comment(s):
Going into the top 50 with some personal favorites no doubt finishing disappointingly low for their fans.
50. Rushmore
Director: Wes Anderson
Points: 603
Year rank: #3 of 1998
Voters: 12
Fans: John (1), beefsupreme (1), Harold Wexler (19)
Comment(s): The first personal #1 shows up, with two #1 votes no less. (Stephan)
Of all of the great Wes Anderson films, this is his finest. Anderson does a great job of coming up with these goofballs trying to find their place in the world and Max Fischer is the best he's created so far. (John)
49. Trainspotting
Director: Danny Boyle
Points: 607
Year rank: #4 of 1996
Voters: 12
Fans: Michel (11), Gillingham (17), Petri (22)
Comment(s):
48. Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers
Director: Nick Park
Points: 608
Year rank: #5 of 1993
Voters: 10
Fans: Michel (2), Henrik (5)
Comment(s):
47. Die Zweite Heimat
Director: Edgar Reitz
Points: 608
Year rank: #10 of 1992
Voters: 3
Fans: Antonius (1)
Comment(s): As was to be expected, the least watched film in the competition. It made the top 100 with just two votes and in the end only got 3 votes. One of four films to be in everyone's top 50. (Stephan)
46. The Piano
Director: Jane Campion
Points: 609
Year rank: #7 of 1993
Voters: 14
Fans: Michel (5), OtisRedding (14), Antonius (20), Harold Wexler (24)
Comment(s):
The only films so far I'm disappointed to see already out are the Wong Kar Wai ones.
I need to see Heimat eventually. I'll focus on Berlin Alexanderplatz and Decalogue for now.
Stephan, if you give me the spreadsheet at the end I'll crunch the correlation and factor statistics.
Great, thanks Bill!
45. Kauas pilvet karkaavat [Drifting Clouds]
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Points: 610
Year rank: #5 of 1996
Voters: 7
Fans: Henrik (7), Petri (8)
Comment(s):
44. The Insider
Director: Michael Mann
Points: 611
Year rank: #9 of 1999
Voters: 11
Fans: Gillingham (9), Dan M (16), beefsupreme (21)
Comment(s): Pacino and even Crowe are fantastic here. Not only Mann's most serious film, but also his best. (Gillingham)
43. Riget [The Kingdom]
Director: Lars Von Trier
Points: 614
Year rank: #6 of 1994
Voters: 7
Fans: Gillingham (11), Antonius (12), Greg (18)
Comment(s): Possibly the best miniseries I ever saw. The atmosphere is great. (Gillingham)
42. Léon [Leon: The Professional]
Director: Luc Besson
Points: 615
Year rank: #5 of 1994
Voters: 11
Fans: Stephan (1), BillAdama (9)
Comment(s): Since it's my second-favorite film of all time I'm a little sad it's down at #42. I never expected this to do a whole lot better, but 4 lists before the end it was #29, which got me a little hopeful.
41. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Points: 618
Year rank: #8 of 1999
Voters: 11
Fans: Greg (9), OtisRedding (16), beefsupreme (16)
Comment(s):
Something came up tonight so I'm gonna have to post the next 10 at the same time so I can still do the top 30 tomorrow as planned.
40. Happiness
Director: Todd Solonz
Points: 618
Year rank: #6 of 1998
Voters: 14
Fans: Henrik (1), Antonius (18)
Comment(s):
39. La Belle Noiseuse
Director: Jacques Rivette
Points: 622
Year rank: #9 of 1991
Voters: 7
Fans: Greg (7), Romain (19)
Comment(s):
38. Naked
Director: Mike Leigh
Points: 625
Year rank: #4 of 1993
Voters: 11
Fans: Gillingham (6), Petri (9), Greg (16)
Comment(s): Fascinating, funny and relevant. The acting is really superb. (Gillingham)
37. La Haine [Hate]
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Points: 625
Year rank: #5 of 1995
Voters: 9
Fans: Romain (10), Petri (14), Michel (25)
Comment(s):
36. C'est Arrivé près de chez Vous [Man Bites Dog]
Director: Rémy Belvaux & André Bonzel
Points: 627
Year rank: #3 of 1992
Voters: 10
Fans: Petri (10), Gillingham (14), Michel (18), Romain (23)
Comment(s): A very surprising film. A bit violent, but also very funny. (Gillingham)
35. La vita è bella [Life is Beautiful]
Director: Roberto Benigni
Points: 630
Year rank: #4 of 1997
Voters: 14
Fans: Stephan (9), Henrik (10), Romain (13), Petri (21), BillAdama (22), OtisRedding (23)
Comment(s): When I watched this film I didn't know anything about it. So during the first half, which seemed to me like an Italian variation of a 30's-style American screwball comedy, I had no idea it all ended up at a concentration camp. The real purpose of the part at the beginning was to prime the viewer for the emotional payoff at the end, and to make believable the main character's farce. Simply a beautiful film. (BillAdama)
34. Secrets & Lies
Director: Mike Leigh
Points: 630
Year rank: #3 of 1996
Voters: 13
Fans: Dan M (4), Harold Wexler (17), Gillingham (20), Antonius (25)
Comment(s):
33. Crna Macka, Beli Macor [Black Cat, White Cat]
Director: Emir Kusturica
Points: 631
Year rank: #10 of 1998
Voters: 9
Fans: Petri (7), Henrik (9), BillAdama (16), Romain (20)
Comment(s):
32. Miller's Crossing
Director: Joel Coen
Points: 631
Year rank: #3 of 1990
Voters: 14
Fans: OtisRedding (6), Harold Wexler (9), Miguel (17)
Comment(s):
31. Ju Dou
Director: Zhang Yimou
Points: 634
Year rank: #7 of 1990
Voters: 9
Fans: Antonius (7), BillAdama (8), Greg (17), OtisRedding (24)
Comment(s):
I like Kauas pilvet karkaavat but it was not my #7, probably it was BillAdama who ranked it that high.
Fascinating that #7 of 1990 beat #2 of 1990 with 30 places.
25. Trust
Director: Hal Hartley
Points: 665
Year rank: #5 of 1990
Voters: 8
Fans: Greg (1), Miguel (2), Michel (13)
Comment(s):
24. Unforgiven
Director: Clint Eastwood
Points: 669
Year rank: #2 of 1992
Voters: 14
Fans: Greg (5), OtisRedding (7), Harold Wexler (15), Dan M (15), Stephan (24)
Comment(s):
23. Funny Games
Director: Michael Haneke
Points: 675
Year rank: #10 of 1997
Voters: 8
Fans: Romain (4), Henrik (7), Miguel (8), Michel (19)
Comment(s): This seems to have gained a lot of fans through the tournament, it only barely made it to the next round and now it's the second-highest ranked film from 1997 and 7 spots higher than the #1 that year. (Stephan)
22. The Matrix
Director: Andy & Larry Wachowski
Points: 679
Year rank: #5 of 1999
Voters: 14
Fans: Miguel (7), Gillingham (8), Antonius (8), Stephan (8), Harold Wexler (20), John (21)
Comment(s): Very divisive film with two people putting it at the very last place on their list and four others in their top 10s. (Stephan)
21. L.A. Confidential
Director: Curtis Hanson
Points: 681
Year rank: #2 of 1997
Voters: 15
Fans: Stephan (12), Harold Wexler (13), beefsupreme (13), BillAdama (14), Dan M (20), Michel (20), OtisRedding (22)
Comment(s):
Really good result in general so far, but it's a bit annoying to see Seven just one spot above Satantango. My most and least favorite discoveries that came from watching for this poll.
Still tons of Tarantino and Coen left to go.
We should do a list of 'Most nominated directors' that combines both polls. The Coens have got to be way ahead of the back with their 8. I don't think anyone else has more than 5.
There are 5 foreign films in the top 20, two of which are among this batch.
20. Todo sobre mi madre [All About My Mother]
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Points: 683
Year rank: #6 of 1999
Voters: 12
Fans: Gillingham (10), Dan M (12), BillAdama (15), Miguel (19), Greg (20)
Comment(s):
19. 大紅燈籠高高掛 [Raise the Red Lantern]
Director: Zhang Yimou
Points: 686
Year rank: #2 of 1991
Voters: 10
Fans: Gillingham (7), Greg (13), BillAdama (13), Antonius (13), Dan M (17)
Comment(s): The film to receive the fewest votes in the top 25. (Stephan)
18. Groundhog Day
Director: Harold Ramis
Points: 712
Year rank: #1 of 1993
Voters: 15
Fans: beefsupreme (3), Miguel (4), Henrik (15), John (16), OtisRedding (19), Stephan (20), Michel (22)
Comment(s):
17. Short Cuts
Director: Robert Altman
Points: 721
Year rank: #2 of 1993
Voters: 13
Fans: Harold Wexler (7), John (8), Miguel (9), Greg (14), Henrik (14), Michel (16), Dan M (18), Petri (21)
Comment(s): Altman does such a great job of telling American stories. (John)
16. Schindler's List
Director: Steven Spielberg
Points: 744
Year rank: #6 of 1993
Voters: 14
Fans: Stephan (2), Harold Wexler (4), Dan M (8), OtisRedding (10), Henrik (12), Romain (17)
Comment(s): Big difference between the EOY and EOD finish, finishing first in its year EOD. (Stephan)
I feel Spielberg's at his best in his pure entertainment films. When he covers serious events, he still plots them like entertainment films. I feel he tries to be emotionally manipulative when he doesn't even have to be. Does he really need to convince us that genocide is bad? The Nazis were a cold, systematic evil, and I find that far more terrifying than the cartoonish evil of the Nazis in this film. (BillAdama)
15. The Shawshank Redemption
Director: Frank Darabont
Points: 749
Year rank: #2 of 1994
Voters: 14
Fans: Stephan (3), Miguel (5), Henrik (6), Dan M (6), Harold Wexler (14), Romain (25)
Comment(s): According to IMDb the best film ever made. (Stephan)
14. The Thin Red Line
Director: Terrence Malick
Points: 757
Year rank: #5 of 1998
Voters: 13
Fans: BillAdama (2), Gillingham (2), Dan M (5), Greg (8), Antonius (23)
Comment(s): Malick´s magnificent, epic comeback. It´s one of the most beautiful films I´ve ever seen. A lot of major actors were very eager to work with Malick, as the cast proves. (Gillingham)
13. Being John Malkovich
Director: Spike Jonze
Points: 758
Year rank: #4 of 1999
Voters: 13
Fans: John (4), Petri (6), Romain (8), Henrik (8), Michel (12), beefsupreme (14), Gillingham (18)
Comment(s): So offbeat. I don't even know what else to say about it. (John)
12. Trois Couleurs: Rouge [Three Colours: Red]
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Points: 766
Year rank: #3 of 1994
Voters: 11
Fans: Dan M (2), BillAdama (6), Romain (6), Michel (15), Henrik (22), Miguel (23)
Comment(s):
11. Goodfellas
Director: Martin Scorsese
Points: 778
Year rank: #1 of 1990
Voters: 15
Fans: Harold Wexler (2), OtisRedding (2), Romain (7), Stephan (7), Michel (17), Gillingham (22), BillAdama (25)
Comment(s): The highest ranked '90s film on TSPDT doesn't quite make it to our top 10. (Stephan)
I think I'll keep the top 10 for tomorrow, maybe get some more discussion and tension going. Any guesses for the final order?
Can you give us the names of the ten films ?
And thanks for the quick presentation.
Ah yes, I've been looking at the list for so long that I forgot that people might not know it by head. In alphabetical order:
American Beauty
The Big Lebowski
Breaking The Waves
Fargo
Festen [The Celebration]
Magnolia
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
The Silence of the Lambs
The Usual Suspects
10. Breaking The Waves
9. Magnolia
8. Reservoir Dogs
7. The Big Lebowski
6. The Usual Suspects
5. American Beauty
4. Festen [The Celebration] (this is perhaps a wish rather than a guess)
3. The Silence of the Lambs
2. Fargo
1. Pulp Fiction (Anyone who wants to bet some money against me? I could need some.)
Bill, unlike with Schindler's List we seem to be in agreement that The Thin Red Line is an excellent war film. It's philosophical approach is certainly very different from either Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan which both aim to physically shake the audience to the core. When I think about The Thin Red Line it's not the battle scenes or dialogue between characters that come to mind; instead it's images of swaying grass and light streaming through the leaves of trees and people swimming in the sea that occur to me first. It's such a profound meditation on the conflict between war and nature.
Let me try to explain my issue with Schindler's List. Here is the most extreme example in the film:
Schindler tries to get the commandant to stop executing prisoners. He tells him "Real power is having the right to kill them, and sparing them." This comes off to me like a plot to manipulate a fifth grader into eating his vegetables. The commandant actually listens to him, and entertains the idea, until he realizes, no, it's much more fun to murder people.
It all comes off like Nazi anti-semitism is just some sort of childish libidinal need to destroy. Naziism is much more frightening than that: They had all kinds of rationalizations and intellectual sophistry to justify mass murder. They carried out this mass murder in a cold, systematic, orderly way. They weren't the Bugs Bunny villains they appear in the movie.
I also found the red dress thing a little cheesy. It all came off like, Schindler couldn't have realized mass murder was wrong until he saw the same little girl was killed.
What I hope :
10 The Silence of the Lambs
9 The Usual Suspects
8 Breaking The Waves
7 Fargo
6 American Beauty
5 The Big Lebowski
4 Reservoir Dogs
3 Magnolia
2 Pulp Fiction
1 Festen [The Celebration]
What I think will happen :
10 Breaking The Waves
9 The Silence of the Lambs
8 Festen [The Celebration]
7 Fargo
6 Magnolia
5 American Beauty
4 Reservoir Dogs
3 The Usual Suspects
2 The Big Lebowski
1 Pulp Fiction
Time to unveal the top 10 best films of the 1990s. From here on out, fans are top 15 rather than top 25.
10. Reservoir Dogs
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Points: 783
Year rank: #1 of 1992
Voters: 15
Fans: Michel (6), Miguel (11), OtisRedding (11), Harold Wexler (12), Romain (14)
Comment(s):
9. The Usual Suspects
Director: Bryan Singer
Points: 825
Year rank: #1 of 1995
Voters: 14
Fans: Miguel (1), Stephan (5), Michel (8), Antonius (11), Petri (11)
Comment(s):
The comment for "Raise The Red Lantern" should be ".. in the top 20". My bad.
8. The Big Lebowski
Director: Joel Coen
Points: The Big Lebowksi
Year rank: #1 of 1998
Voters: 15
Fans: Petri (1), beefsupreme (2), John (3), Romain (9), Gillingham (12)
Comment(s): The Coens are at their best with comedy. Their brand of humor is unmistakable and always funny. (John)
7. American Beauty
Director: Sam Mendes
Points: 871
Year rank: #1 of 1999
Voters: 15
Fans: Dan M (1), Henrik (4), Stephan (4), Petri (5), Michel (9), Romain (11), OtisRedding (13)
Comment(s): Being a South African living in the UK, I didn't expect my favourite film of all time to be a dark comedy about the fallacies of living the American Dream. But of course you don't have to live in American suburbia to relate to the film's universal theme of how social conventions can restrict people emotionally. Although the humour is dark and the critique on society quite biting, the film manages to exude a glowing warmth at the same time - there is something hopeful and life-affirming in the way the film explores the characters' attempts to make sense of their surroundings and find happiness. A clever screenplay, assured directing, outstanding acting, remarkable cinematography, a spot-on score, and an insightful look into a slice of life that never quite takes you where you expect it to... everything I want in a movie. (Dan M)
6. Breaking The Waves
Director: Lars Von Trier
Points: 882
Year rank: #2 of 1996
Voters: 13
Fans: Michel (1), Greg (2), Antonius (4), Petri (4), OtisRedding (5), Harold Wexler (6), Romain (15)
Comment(s):
For Dan M, all the good taste guys who have put American Beauty so hight, I hope you have seen all the Larry Clark's movies like "Kids" (why it's not in the top 100 of the 90's ????) and "Ken Park" (why it's not in the top 100 of the 2000's ????).
I have seen Kids, and it was good, but I didn't enjoy it that much. Not nearly as much as American Beauty anyway. Haven't seen Ken Park though.
5. Magnolia
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Points: 889
Year rank: #2 of 1999
Voters: 14
Fans: Harold Wexler (3), Romain (3), Gillingham (3), Petri (3), John (9), BillAdama (11), Dan M (11)
Comment(s):
4. Festen [The Celebration]
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Points: 892
Year rank: #2 of 1998
Voters: 12
Fans: Romain (1), Henrik (2), Antonius (3), Gillingham (4), Dan M (9)
Comment(s): The acting is superb. Easily the best of the Dogme films. (Gillingham)
3. The Silence Of The Lambs
Director: Jonathan Demme
Points: 902
Year rank: #1 of 1991
Voters: 15
Fans: OtisRedding (8), Antonius (9), Miguel (9), Harold Wexler (10), Michel (10), John (11), Henrik (13), Stephan (13), Dan M (13)
Comment(s): The film with the lowest personal ranking since #20, but 12 of the 15 voters put it between 8 and 20. (Stephan)
The 90's produced a lot of great thriller/horror movies and spawned a lot of really bad ones. Horror and Nirvana have a lot in common. (John)
I loved American Beauty when I first saw it but I think I ranked it a bit low.
I have to confess to some bias against the kind of movie that appeals to the kind of person I was when I was in high school.
Anyway, I ranked Fargo #3 and Pulp Fiction #5, so either way, great finish.
Might as well reveal the final two, which are not much of a surprise. They're also quite a distance away from their peers, almost 100 points between #3 and #2 and almost 200 points between #2 and #1.
2. Fargo
Director: Joel Coen
Points: 998
Year rank: #1 of 1996
Voters: 15
Fans: OtisRedding (1), BillAdama (3), Harold Wexler (5), Gillingham (5), beefsupreme (6), John (7), Dan M (7), Romain (12), Michel (14)
Comment(s): Don't let anyone tell you different. This is what northern Minnesotans talk like! I have a family of them! (John)
Only the Coens could have made this film. Although it is not a straight comedy, it's one of the most humurous films of the nineties. (Gillingham)
1. Pulp Fiction
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Points: 1206
Year rank: #1 of 1994
Voters: 15
Fans: Harold Wexler (1), Gillingham (1), John (2), Romain (2), Petri (2), Henrik (3), Dan M (3), OtisRedding (4), BillAdama (5), Antonius (6), Michel (7), beefsupreme (12), Miguel (13)
Comment(s): As many predicted, with Henrik even correctly predicting the entire top 4, a runaway winner. It took the lead after the fourth ballot came in and nothing else ever came close after that. (Stephan)
Maybe the funnest film in the world to watch. (BillAdama)
The writing is so good. Many screenwriters have tried to emulate it including Tarantino himself and fall short everytime. (John)
I guess this overpopular film will win the tournament, and it is one of the few films that really deserve it. Tarantino´s Masterpiece. (Gillingham)
The top 100:
100 Philadelphia
99 Dances With Wolves
98 Good Will Hunting
97 The Rock
96 The Full Monty
95 The Godfather Part III
94 JFK
93 Jurassic Park
92 Glengarry Glen Ross
91 Malcolm X
90 Wayne's World
89 American History X
88 The English Patient
87 The Crying Game
86 The Green Mile
85 Clerks
84 The Player
83 Barton Fink
82 Sling Blade
81 Toy Story
80 Leaving Las Vegas
79 Underground
78 Wild at Heart
77 Crumb
76 Les Amants du Pont-Neuf [The Lovers on the Bridge]
75 Saving Private Ryan
74 The Sweet Hereafter
73 Delicatessen
72 Total Recall
71 阿飛正傳 [Days of Being Wild]
70 Lone Star
69 Thelma & Louise
68 Lost Highway
67 Los amantes del círculo polar [The Lovers of the Arctic Circle]
66 Heat
65 Twelve Monkeys
64 Terminator 2: Judgment Day
63 もののけ姫 [Princess Mononoke]
62 The Straight Story
61 Edward Scissorhands
60 La Double Vie de Véronique [The Double Life of Veronique]
59 Dazed And Confused
58 Dead Man
57 Forrest Gump
56 The Truman Show
55 Before Sunrise
54 Bad Lieutenant
53 Boogie Nights
52 La Promesse
51 重慶森林 [Chungking Express]
50 Rushmore
49 Trainspotting
48 Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers
47 Die Zweite Heimat
46 The Piano
45 Kauas pilvet karkaavat [Drifting Clouds]
44 The Insider
43 Riget [The Kingdom]
42 Léon [Leon: The Professional]
41 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
40 Happiness
39 La belle noiseuse
38 Naked
37 La Haine [Hate]
36 C'est Arrivé près de chez Vous [Man Bites Dog]
35 La vita è bella [Life is Beautiful]
34 Secrets & Lies
33 Crna Macka, Beli Macor [Black Cat, White Cat]
32 Miller's Crossing
31 菊豆 [Ju Dou]
30 Jackie Brown
29 Trois Couleurs: Bleu [Three Colours: Blue]
28 Sátántangó [Satantango]
27 Se7en
26 Fight Club
25 Trust
24 Unforgiven
23 Funny Games
22 The Matrix
21 L.A. Confidential
20 Todo sobre mi madre [All About My Mother]
19 大紅燈籠高高掛 [Raise the Red Lantern ]
18 Groundhog Day
17 Short Cuts
16 Schindler's List
15 The Shawshank Redemption
14 Thin Red Line
13 Being John Malkovich
12 Trois Couleurs: Rouge [Three Colours: Red]
11 Goodfellas
10 Reservoir Dogs
9 The Usual Suspects
8 The Big Lebowski
7 American Beauty
6 Breaking The Waves
5 Magnolia
4 Festen [The Celebration]
3 The Silence of the Lambs
2 Fargo
1 Pulp Fiction
Some stats on the voters:
5 Americans, 9 Europeans and 1 South-African living in Europe.
2 people voted for all 100 films, Romain and Stephan.
On average people voted for about 79 films.
14 films got votes from every single person.
Fargo was the film with the best worst rating, #33.
Pulp Fiction and Rushmore got most first places, both 2.
The Rock got most last places with 3, The Matrix got 2. Both had one #100.
The film with the highest average score is The Rock; the film with the lowest, easily, Pulp Fiction.
All the lists involved in the entire project, including all the EOY-lists, can be found here. Feel free to use this file for the correlations and such Bill.
The top 100 by American voters:
100 Good Will Hunting
99 The Godfather Part III
98 Dances With Wolves
97 American History X
96 The Green Mile
95 The Full Monty
94 The English Patient
93 Edward Scissorhands
92 Forrest Gump
91 Wild at Heart
90 The Truman Show
89 Trainspotting
88 Philadelphia
87 Los amantes del círculo polar [The Lovers of the Arctic Circle]
86 Se7en
85 Delicatessen
84 Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers
83 The Piano
82 Saving Private Ryan
81 La vita è bella [Life is Beautiful]
80 JFK
79 Clerks
78 Before Sunrise
77 The Player
76 American Beauty
75 C'est Arrivé près de chez Vous [Man Bites Dog]
74 Toy Story
73 Twelve Monkeys
72 The Crying Game
71 Glengarry Glen Ross
70 Jurassic Park
69 Funny Games
68 Die Zweite Heimat
67 Sling Blade
66 Happiness
65 Malcolm X
64 Les Amants du Pont-Neuf [The Lovers on the Bridge]
63 La Haine [Hate]
62 The Matrix
61 Thelma & Louise
60 La Double Vie de Véronique [The Double Life of Veronique]
59 The Straight Story
58 Naked
57 Bad Lieutenant
56 Fight Club
55 もののけ姫 [Princess Mononoke]
54 Underground
53 Terminator 2: Judgment Day
52 The Rock
51 Crumb
50 Crna Macka, Beli Macor [Black Cat, White Cat]
49 The Insider
48 Léon [Leon: The Professional]
47 Secrets & Lies
46 La Promesse
45 The Usual Suspects
44 Barton Fink
43 Heat
42 Lost Highway
41 Festen [The Celebration]
40 阿飛正傳 [Days of Being Wild]
39 Riget [The Kingdom]
38 Jackie Brown
37 Schindler's List
36 The Shawshank Redemption
35 Wayne's World
34 Total Recall
33 Reservoir Dogs
32 Miller's Crossing
31 Dead Man
30 Leaving Las Vegas
29 Lone Star
28 Kauas pilvet karkaavat [Drifting Clouds]
27 Trois Couleurs: Bleu [Three Colours: Blue]
26 Todo sobre mi madre [All About My Mother]
25 Groundhog Day
24 Being John Malkovich
23 Trois Couleurs: Rouge [Three Colours: Red]
22 The Sweet Hereafter
21 重慶森林 [Chungking Express]
20 大紅燈籠高高掛 [Raise the Red Lantern]
19 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
18 Unforgiven
17 L.A. Confidential
16 菊豆 [Ju Dou ]
15 La belle noiseuse
14 The Silence of the Lambs
13 Boogie Nights
12 Trust
11 Goodfellas
10 Short Cuts
9 Dazed And Confused
8 Breaking The Waves
7 Thin Red Line
6 Rushmore
5 Magnolia
4 Sátántangó [Satantango] (With only 5 voters, Bill and Greg's votes are a lot more important)
3 The Big Lebowski
2 Fargo
1 Pulp Fiction
The top 100 by European voters (including Dan):
100 Philadelphia
99 The Rock
98 Wayne's World
97 Jurassic Park
96 Malcolm X
95 Glengarry Glen Ross
94 Dazed And Confused
93 Rushmore
92 JFK
91 Dances With Wolves
90 The Sweet Hereafter
89 Leaving Las Vegas
88 The Full Monty
87 Good Will Hunting
86 Barton Fink
85 The Crying Game
84 Lone Star
83 Total Recall
82 The Godfather Part III
81 Sátántangó [Satantango]
80 Crumb
79 Underground
78 阿飛正傳 [Days of Being Wild]
77 Sling Blade
76 Boogie Nights
75 The English Patient
74 Lost Highway
73 The Player
72 Clerks
71 Toy Story
70 Heat
69 American History X
68 Les Amants du Pont-Neuf [The Lovers on the Bridge]
67 Dead Man
66 The Green Mile
65 重慶森林 [Chungking Express]
64 Terminator 2: Judgment Day
63 Thelma & Louise
62 もののけ姫 [Princess Mononoke]
61 Saving Private Ryan
60 The Straight Story
59 Wild at Heart
58 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
57 La belle noiseuse
56 Delicatessen
55 Kauas pilvet karkaavat [Drifting Clouds]
54 Twelve Monkeys
53 La Double Vie de Véronique [The Double Life of Veronique]
52 菊豆 [Ju Dou]
51 Los amantes del círculo polar [The Lovers of the Arctic Circle]
50 La Promesse
49 Bad Lieutenant
48 Riget [The Kingdom]
47 The Insider
46 Miller's Crossing
45 Trois Couleurs: Bleu [Three Colours: Blue]
44 Before Sunrise
43 Trust
42 Léon [Leon: The Professional]
41 Edward Scissorhands
40 The Truman Show
39 Die Zweite Heimat
38 Jackie Brown
37 Forrest Gump
36 Unforgiven
35 Secrets & Lies
34 Naked
33 Crna Macka, Beli Macor [Black Cat, White Cat]
32 Happiness
31 La Haine [Hate]
30 L.A. Confidential
29 Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers
28 The Piano
27 Trainspotting
26 大紅燈籠高高掛 [Raise the Red Lantern]
25 C'est Arrivé près de chez Vous [Man Bites Dog]
24 Todo sobre mi madre [All About My Mother]
23 Short Cuts
22 La vita è bella [Life is Beautiful]
21 Thin Red Line
20 Fight Club
19 Groundhog Day
18 Se7en
17 The Matrix
16 Funny Games
15 The Big Lebowski
14 Goodfellas
13 Being John Malkovich
12 Trois Couleurs: Rouge [Three Colours: Red]
11 Schindler's List
10 The Shawshank Redemption
9 Reservoir Dogs
8 Magnolia
7 Breaking The Waves
6 The Usual Suspects
5 Fargo
4 The Silence of the Lambs
3 Festen [The Celebration]
2 American Beauty
1 Pulp Fiction
Many, many thanks, Stephan. This was great!
Americans have the Finchers at 86 and 53. Europeans have them at 18 and 20.
I ran the numbers and I decided the results would probably make more sense if I transformed the data to give more weight to the very high scores. So I'm going to transform all the raw positions to the point totals before doing the factor analysis.
Brilliant poll Stephan! I really enjoyed the results with their deserved winner even if I didn't get my act together voting-wise.
Great list guys, I can't wait to watch some of the ones toward the top I hadn't even heard of prior to the poll (most notably, Festen). For the record, I probably would have put Being John Malcovich as my #1, so I was glad to see it place so highly.
Thanks a lot for the organisation Stephan! Nice poll end more than doable results. I'm sorry I wasn't around for the revealing of the list.
Finally got around to the stats.
Factor 1:
Pulp Fiction
Fargo
Magnolia
American Beauty
Festen
The Silence Of The Lambs
Breaking The Waves
Goodfellas
Schindler's List
Resevoir Dogs
Highest Factor 1:
Harold Wexler
Dan M
Romain
Lowest:
Greg
Beefsupreme
Miguel
Factor 2, +:
The Big Lebowski
Rushmore
Breaking The Waves
Being John Malkovich
Pulp Fiction
Dazed And Confused
Dead Man
Wayne's World
Boogie Nights
Short Cuts
Factor 2, -:
The Shawshank Redemption
Schindler's List
Leon
American Beauty
The Usual Suspects
Forrest Gump
Life Is Beautiful
Fight Club
The Godfather, Part III
American History X
Indie vs mainstream factor?
Highest:
John
Beefsupreme
Greg
Lowest:
Stephan
Miguel
Dan M
Factor 3 +:
Rushmore
Big Lebowski
Dazed And Confused
Being John Malkovich
Total Recall
Groundhog's Day
Wayne's World
The Shawshank Redemption
Terminator 2
Factor 3 -:
Breaking The Waves
Unforgiven
Dead Man
Thin Red Line
Edward Scissorhands
The Piano
Princess Mononoke
Ju Dou
The Sweet Hereafter
Crumb
No clue what this factor means. Maybe exciting/funny/uplifting versus cynical/depressing?
High factor 3:
Beefsupreme
John
Miguel
Low factor 3:
Greg
Antonious
Otisredding
Factor 4+:
Groundhog Day
Goodfellas
Total Recall
Miller's Crossing
Fargo
Rushmore
The Silence Of The Lambs
Unforgiven
Dazed And Confused
Schindler's List
Factor 4-:
Black Cat, White Cat
Being John Malkovich
Magnolia
Three Colors: Blue
Drifting Clouds
Life Is Beautiful
Three Colors: Red
Days Of Being Wild
Hate
Chungking Express
This one's easy. English language/plot driven vs other language/concept driven. Guess which side I wind up on.
Factor 4 high:
Otisredding
Beefsupreme
Harold Wexler
Factor 4 low:
Petri
BillAdama
Romain
Factor 5+:
Thin Red Line
Satantango
Magnolia
Fargo
All About My Mother
Goodfellas
Raise The Red Lantern
Leon
Miller's Crossing
The Sweet Hereafter
Factor 5-:
Wallace and Gromit and the Wrong Trousers
Happiness
Being John Malkovich
American Beauty
Funny Games
Bad Lieutenant
Jackie Brown
The Piano
Breaking The Waves
Groundhog Day
I don't know what the minus side represents, but my idea for the positive side: "They Shoot Pictures, Don't They" factor. Or maybe just "Satantango factor".
Factor 5 high:
BillAdama
Gillingham
Greg
Factor 5 low:
Henrik
Michel
Antonious
Factor 6+:
The Matrix
The Usual Suspects
Trust
Raise The Red Lantern
Heimat
Ju Dou
Festen
Thin Red Line
Riget
Groundhog Day
Factor 6-:
Schindler's List
Goodfellas
Short Cuts
American Beauty
The Full Monty
Unforgiven
Miller's Crossing
Rushmore
The Godfather Part III
Philadelphia
No clue about this one. Matrix throws off any link you would find for the positive. I suppose most of the bottom ones involve arbitrary cruelty and social commentary.
Factor 6 high:
Antonious
Miguel
Gillingham
Factor 6 low:
Harold Wexler
Otisredding
Petri
I will list all correlations that are higher than .3 or lower than -.2
Greg/Stephan: -.28
Harold Wexler/John: .35
Harold Wexler/Romain: .42
Harold Wexler/Gillingham: .37
Harold Wexler/Otisredding: .61
Harold Wexler/Stephan: .39
Harold Wexler/Dan M: .49
Harold Wexler/Michel: .37
BillAdama/Romain: .34
John/beefsupreme: .46
John/Petri: .35
Romain/Henrik: .39
Romain/Stephan: .31
Romain/Dan M: .42
Romain/Michel: .33
Romain/Petri: .45
Henrik/Dan M: .44
Gillingham/Dan M: .51
Miguel/Stephan: .31
Otisredding/Dan M: .37
Otisredding/Michel: .36
Stephan/Dan M: .36
Michel/Petri: .35
Antonious: Highest .29 (Michel)
Thanks for that Bill, interesting stuff. I wouldn't have expected to have any kind of correlation with Romain.