Top 5 Movies

[Huntn]

With the incredibly rich history of movies, its too hard for me to identify a top 5 without doing disservices to all the other great movies out there.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

With the incredibly rich history of movies, its too hard for me to identify a top 5 without doing disservices to all the other great movies out there.

But what are your Top Five today?

Had this question been asked of me twenty or thirty years ago, my answer would have been very different. Indeed, if you had asked me that question when I was a child, 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' would have featured on my Top Five list, as I adored that movie. Actually, for that matter, it has left me with a passion (an impractical and illogical, and totally ludicrous passion, I'll more than readily concede) for old, open-topped motor cars.

 

[Huntn]

But what are your Top Five today?

Had this question been asked of me twenty or thirty years ago, my answer would have been very different. Indeed, if you had asked me that question when I was a child, 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' would have featured on my Top Five list, as I adored that movie. Actually, for that matter, it has left me with a passion (an impractical and illogical, and totally ludicrous passion, I'll more than readily concede) for old, open-topped motor cars.

I really can't produce a top 5 list, but I'll acknowledge that list definitely changes over time, or more appropriately, it's added to. It's too hard, but I presume that Shawshank Redemption would be one of them. Giant might be another. Who knows maybe Starwars Episode IV. And I saw Young Frankenstein 3 times at the movies., lol. And although I was only 9 (I think) when this movie was supposed to take place, and I never had a place to cruise growing up, American Graffitti feels incredibly nostalgic. But then there's A Wonderful Life and the A Christmas Carrol (Reginald Owen) and lots more! I have previously posted a long list of favorite movies somewhere in this forum.

 

[Mousse]

1) Casablanca
2) Seven Samurai
3) Grave of the Fireflies
4) The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
5) Lord of the Rings (if you count the entire trilogy as one movie)

 

[srltzz342]

I would have to say that my top five favorites would have to be
1) The Shawshank Redemption
2) The Godfather
3) The Dark Knight
4) Once Upon A Time In the West
5) Spirited Away

 

[filmbufs]

I really can't produce a top 5 list, but I'll acknowledge that list definitely changes over time, or more appropriately, it's added to. It's too hard, but I presume that Shawshank Redemption would be one of them. Giant might be another. Who knows maybe Starwars Episode IV. And I saw Young Frankenstein 3 times at the movies., lol. And although I was only 9 (I think) when this movie was supposed to take place, and I never had a place to cruise growing up, American Graffitti feels incredibly nostalgic. But then there's A Wonderful Life and the A Christmas Carrol (Reginald Owen) and lots more! I have previously posted a long list of favorite movies somewhere in this forum.

Creating a top 5 list is difficult to do. No doubt about it. And the difficulty of it is part of the charm. However, when you're given free reign to list movies as a favorite, for whatever reason, it does alleviate the pressure a little bit. If you love movies, the temptation is to list highly-regarded, artsy, time-tested films seen on most lists. But, if you create a list freeing yourself of that criteria, you might select a film you loved as a kid that isn't on any critic's list. Or a film you have seen a dozen times. Or that one film that made such an impact you can never forget that experience.

It is also an interesting way to gauge a little insight into a person in a relatively innocent way. Whenever I've had the opportunity to hire a person, I always ask this question in a conversational way. Most everyone sees movies but the answers are so widely different. I remember one interviewee who listed out his top five and they were all horror/slasher movies. Um..... next applicant, please.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Creating a top 5 list is difficult to do. No doubt about it. And the difficulty of it is part of the charm. However, when you're given free reign to list movies as a favorite, for whatever reason, it does alleviate the pressure a little bit. If you love movies, the temptation is to list highly-regarded, artsy, time-tested films seen on most lists. But, if you create a list freeing yourself of that criteria, you might select a film you loved as a kid that isn't on any critic's list. Or a film you have seen a dozen times. Or that one film that made such an impact you can never forget that experience.

It is also an interesting way to gauge a little insight into a person in a relatively innocent way. Whenever I've had the opportunity to hire a person, I always ask this question in a conversational way. Most everyone sees movies but the answers are so widely different. I remember one interviewee who listed out his top five and they were all horror/slasher movies. Um..... next applicant, please.

Excellent example and very interesting story. Here is a similar one.

A very good friend of mine who is a doctor described interviewing a candidate for a position in the practice she ran with a number of others. The candidate had excellent grades, and enormous potential, but was so tense, terse, uptight and monosyllabic that coming towards the end of the interview, it was clear he had done a brutally bad interview.

My friend - almost in despair - asked him to describe what made him laugh. He squirmed on his seat, and ground out one word between gritted teeth: "Pythons" (meaning Monty Python). Almost against her better judgement, my friend decided that this was good enough and hired him as a result of that answer, knowing he would fit in with the other doctors and rest of the medical staff in the practice.

She told me that he subsequently turned out to have been a superb appointment, a lovely guy, a huge asset to the practice, and was a gifted and compassionate doctor who was adored by his patients. But she also stressed that if she hadn't (as a final despairing question) asked him the question about what made him laugh, that he would never have been appointed, and that - owing to his tense personality - he might have found it hard to land a job in a good practice.

Re lists, I think that there is a distinction to be drawn between movies that are regarded as 'Top Ten" or "Top Five" (which will inevitably draw reference from what you have described as the 'artsy, time-tested') and what one regards as favourites, such as might find a home in a list entitled "My Favourite Five".

 

[sartrekid]

I have another top five list of movies that are are either highly artistic and/or socially demanding in more ways than one and could easily be replaced with my original personal top five of all-time favorites that I listed earlier. In fact, today this is my top five. I've watched these at least two dozen times each. At the very minimum.


In no particular order:

1. Tchaikovsky: The Music Lovers [1970]

Summary: Piano teacher Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky struggles against his homosexuality by marrying, but unfortunately he chooses a nymphomaniac whom he cannot satisfy.​

Notes: This is probably one of the craziest and most bizarre movies I've ever seen! It's directed by Ken Russell who was known for his mad antics and peculiar on-set practices. For instance, in this movie he deliberately tortured the protagonists for hours upon hours in a tiny locked room where they could hardly move for hours and hours in an attempt to drive them insane. The scene that resulted out of it was magnificent, partly disturbing but pure genius nonetheless. I definitely recommend it who likes abstract and unconventional movies. It's also a feast for classic music fans as this movie features more tunes than dialogues.​

2. Shogun [1980] - (the original mini-series that can be considered a movie)

A English navigator becomes both a player and pawn in the complex political games in feudal Japan.​

Notes. This is arguably the best TV movie to have ever been made. The influence this movie had on global, particularly American culture, is quite impressive. Sushi, for example, became a world-wide delicacy outside of Japan and some parts in Asia only due to this film. It was a very difficult film to make because the entire movie was shot in Japan but the crew consisted of Americans exclusively which made on-set communication extremely difficult as nobody from the American crew spoke Japanese or knew anything about Japanese culture and social etiquette and vice versa and the project threatened to blow up as a result of cultural differences and the animosities emerged out of it.

The historic events are extremely well researched and depicted and almost nothing was altered in the name of artistic license. Those in power decided at the time that none of the sequences that were spoken in Japanese were to be translated. They also decided against subtitles for the sake of preserving authenticity. This is certainly an epic and immensely powerful masterpiece all around and I highly recommend it. Oh, and it's also a true story.​

3. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner [1967]

A couple's attitudes are challenged when their daughter introduces them to her African-American fiancé.​

I watched it the first time when I was really, really small. It was also the first time that I was confronted with constitutional racial prejudice. I hadn't known then that there are people who had an issue with skin color. That concept seemed so abstract and deeply disturbing to me then - and still does to this day - that I had to have my parents explain to me why they were all making such a fuss over it. I think this was one of the first movies to ever openly address the issue in that form. It was very brave to do at the time and is, unfortunately, not in the least less relevant now than it was in 1967.​

4. Scarface [1983]

In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel while succumbing to greed.​

Shudders. So brutal and so, so good. Nothing else to add. A classic.​

5. V for Vendetta [2005]

In a future British tyranny, a shadowy freedom fighter, known only by the alias of "V", plots to overthrow it with the help of a young woman.​

How could I have missed this one the first time around? Anyhow, it's one of the very few new(ish) movies I've seen. I think I've seen no more than a dozen or less of movies that were released post-millennium. Out of all of them this is by far the best one. Compared to the other "heavy-weights" I've listed above, the actors in this movie don't excel (in my opinion). They are very solid, and hey! Stephen Fry has a small, albeit significant part in it! That accounts for something, but overall I'd say it's not so much the actors that carry this movie and make it so captivating and hard to digest. Same goes for the cinematographic aspects; it's solid, but there's nothing new, nothing that stands out in particular. It does excel in one area though; and that's the screenplay and the story itself. This is one of those movies that don't have a time stamp. It'll always be relevant and can be applied practically anywhere in the world.​

I've read the audiobook that is even better than this movie. And I'm sure that the original comic surpasses both, the movie and the audiobook. I've yet to read it but I do plan to do so.​

 

[filmbufs]

Excellent example and very interesting story. Here is a similar one.

A very good friend of mine who is a doctor described interviewing a candidate for a position in the practice she ran with a number of others. The candidate had excellent grades, and enormous potential, but was so tense, terse, uptight and monosyllabic that coming towards the end of the interview, it was clear he had done a brutally bad interview.

My friend - almost in despair - asked him to describe what made him laugh. He squirmed on his seat, and ground out one word between gritted teeth: "Pythons" (meaning Monty Python). Almost against her better judgement, my friend decided that this was good enough and hired him as a result of that answer, knowing he would fit in with the other doctors and rest of the medical staff in the practice.

She told me that he subsequently turned out to have been a superb appointment, a lovely guy, a huge asset to the practice, and was a gifted and compassionate doctor who was adored by his patients. But she also stressed that if she hadn't (as a final despairing question) asked him the question about what made him laugh, that he would never have been appointed, and that - owing to his tense personality - he might have found it hard to land a job in a good practice.

Re lists, I think that there is a distinction to be drawn between movies that are regarded as 'Top Ten" or "Top Five" (which will inevitably draw reference from what you have described as the 'artsy, time-tested') and what one regards as favourites, such as might find a home in a list entitled "My Favourite Five".

That's interesting, @Scepticalscribe . One of the reasons I like asking the movie question is it typically relaxes people because we all share in the experience of seeing movies. If someone tenses up in trying to create a list, that stands out, as does the way they deal with that kind of decision making process. And, because there really isn't any wrong answer, aside from horror/slasher/serial killer movie answers, you get a peek into what makes them happy, curious, funny, intelligent and unique. Try asking that to a person you just met and see how much insight you get. You'll be surprised.

 

[Vashed]

Blade Runner
The Godfather
Back to the Future
Guardians of the Galaxy
Star War a New Hope

 

[Huntn]

I have another top five list of movies that are are either highly artistic and/or socially demanding in more ways than one and could easily be replaced with my original personal top five of all-time favorites that I listed earlier. In fact, today this is my top five. I've watched these at least two dozen times each. At the very minimum.


In no particular order:

1. Tchaikovsky: The Music Lovers [1970]

Summary: Piano teacher Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky struggles against his homosexuality by marrying, but unfortunately he chooses a nymphomaniac whom he cannot satisfy.​

Notes: This is probably one of the craziest and most bizarre movies I've ever seen! It's directed by Ken Russell who was known for his mad antics and peculiar on-set practices. For instance, in this movie he deliberately tortured the protagonists for hours upon hours in a tiny locked room where they could hardly move for hours and hours in an attempt to drive them insane. The scene that resulted out of it was magnificent, partly disturbing but pure genius nonetheless. I definitely recommend it who likes abstract and unconventional movies. It's also a feast for classic music fans as this movie features more tunes than dialogues.​

2. Shogun [1980] - (the original mini-series that can be considered a movie)

A English navigator becomes both a player and pawn in the complex political games in feudal Japan.​

Notes. This is arguably the best TV movie to have ever been made. The influence this movie had on global, particularly American culture, is quite impressive. Sushi, for example, became a world-wide delicacy outside of Japan and some parts in Asia only due to this film. It was a very difficult film to make because the entire movie was shot in Japan but the crew consisted of Americans exclusively which made on-set communication extremely difficult as nobody from the American crew spoke Japanese or knew anything about Japanese culture and social etiquette and vice versa and the project threatened to blow up as a result of cultural differences and the animosities emerged out of it.

The historic events are extremely well researched and depicted and almost nothing was altered in the name of artistic license. Those in power decided at the time that none of the sequences that were spoken in Japanese were to be translated. They also decided against subtitles for the sake of preserving authenticity. This is certainly an epic and immensely powerful masterpiece all around and I highly recommend it. Oh, and it's also a true story.​

3. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner [1967]

A couple's attitudes are challenged when their daughter introduces them to her African-American fiancé.​

I watched it the first time when I was really, really small. It was also the first time that I was confronted with constitutional racial prejudice. I hadn't known then that there are people who had an issue with skin color. That concept seemed so abstract and deeply disturbing to me then - and still does to this day - that I had to have my parents explain to me why they were all making such a fuss over it. I think this was one of the first movies to ever openly address the issue in that form. It was very brave to do at the time and is, unfortunately, not in the least less relevant now than it was in 1967.​

4. Scarface [1983]

In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel while succumbing to greed.​

Shudders. So brutal and so, so good. Nothing else to add. A classic.​

5. V for Vendetta [2005]

In a future British tyranny, a shadowy freedom fighter, known only by the alias of "V", plots to overthrow it with the help of a young woman.​

How could I have missed this one the first time around? Anyhow, it's one of the very few new(ish) movies I've seen. I think I've seen no more than a dozen or less of movies that were released post-millennium. Out of all of them this is by far the best one. Compared to the other "heavy-weights" I've listed above, the actors in this movie don't excel (in my opinion). They are very solid, and hey! Stephen Fry has a small, albeit significant part in it! That accounts for something, but overall I'd say it's not so much the actors that carry this movie and make it so captivating and hard to digest. Same goes for the cinematographic aspects; it's solid, but there's nothing new, nothing that stands out in particular. It does excel in one area though; and that's the screenplay and the story itself. This is one of those movies that don't have a time stamp. It'll always be relevant and can be applied practically anywhere in the world.​

I've read the audiobook that is even better than this movie. And I'm sure that the original comic surpasses both, the movie and the audiobook. I've yet to read it but I do plan to do so.​

I watch VFV semi-regularly. And I have the graphic novel, that's been sitting in my library waiting to be read. Don't ask me how long. I am going to read it someday.

 

[D.T.]

As someone who loves film, and is on different boards discussing, analyzing, etc., this comes up quite a bit, and I still don't have a good answer

This probably isn't so much a top 5 as it is a top N from a few different genre lists of mine. My "master" list would probably be a touch sci-fi biased.

Blade Runner
Godfather II
2001:ASO
Seven Samurai
Monty Python's Holy Grail

Though I feel like I could easily go:

Blade Runner
Godfather II
Casablanca
Seven Samurai
Dr. Strangelove

That's a little more rounded with sci-fi, epic, black comedy, even romance ... and doesn't miss out of the requirement [for me] to include Kubrick, Kurasawa. Ugh, but then I'm omitting Scorsese.

So maybe:

Blade Runner
Goodfellas
Casablanca
Seven Samurai
Dr. Strangelove


...

 

[D.T.]

I watch VFV semi-regularly. And I have the graphic novel, that's been sitting in my library waiting to be read. Don't ask me how long. I am going to read it someday.

Set aside some time and read it. The original source has a totally different message, notable tonal shifts in the characters, etc.

 

[0098386]

I like watching films but I'm not really a film nerd as such, so with that in mind and in no order;

• Lego Movie - totally surprised by this when it came out. Funny, fast, nostalgic.
• Watchmen - rich world, lots of little things here and there. The Dr Manhattan "origin" scenes really haunt me.
• The Shining - I just love the setting. Reminds me of my grandparents old house (last time they decorated was in the 70's)
• Lord of the Rings trilogy - Incredible world, music, characters. If I ever want to really get lost in a film I put that on.
• Interstellar - because its outstanding.

Other films I can just watch over and over; Kick Ass, Twister, Dante's Peak, the Mario Brothers film, 2001, Toys, Home Alone 1 and 2, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Trollhunter, In The Loop, Four Lions, Alan Partridge movie, Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day, Shawshank Redemption, Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Laputa, Nausicaa, Dark Knight trilogy, Back to the Future trilogy, Jurassic Park trilogy.

 

[Huntn]

Set aside some time and read it. The original source has a totally different message, notable tonal shifts in the characters, etc.

I'll try.

As someone who loves film, and is on different boards discussion, analyzing, etc., this comes up quite a bit, and I still don't have a good answer

This probably isn't so much a top 5 as it is a top N from a few different genre lists of mine. My "master" list would probably be a touch sci-fi biased.

Blade Runner
Godfather II
2001:ASO
Seven Samurai
Monty Python's Holy Grail

Though I feel like I could easily go:

Blade Runner
Godfather II
Casablanca
Seven Samurai
Dr. Strangelove

That's a little more rounded with sci-fi, epic, black comedy, even romance ... and doesn't miss out of the requirement [for me] to include Kubrick, Kurasawa. Ugh, but then I'm omitting Scorsese.

So maybe:

Blade Runner
Goodfellas
Casablanca
Seven Samurai
Dr. Strangelove


...

Lol, you've illustrated my point why a top 5 list is highly subjective, fluid, and basically impossible.

I like watching films but I'm not really a film nerd as such, so with that in mind and in no order;

• Lego Movie - totally surprised by this when it came out. Funny, fast, nostalgic.
• Watchmen - rich world, lots of little things here and there. The Dr Manhattan "origin" scenes really haunt me.
• The Shining - I just love the setting. Reminds me of my grandparents old house (last time they decorated was in the 70's)
• Lord of the Rings trilogy - Incredible world, music, characters. If I ever want to really get lost in a film I put that on.
• Interstellar - because its outstanding.

Other films I can just watch over and over; Kick Ass, Twister, Dante's Peak, the Mario Brothers film, 2001, Toys, Home Alone 1 and 2, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Trollhunter, In The Loop, Four Lions, Alan Partridge movie, Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day, Shawshank Redemption, Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Laputa, Nausicaa, Dark Knight trilogy, Back to the Future trilogy, Jurassic Park trilogy.

Maybe you too!

 

[D.T.]

• Interstellar - because its outstanding.

Oops! Gone!

 

[ejb190]

I find it interesting to look at everyone's list as a whole. As I predicted, very little animation (Is it because it is "kids stuff", not "serious" film, or just overlooked?). The lists either slant to classics or modern film. There is also a pretty heavy Sci-Fi bias here as well. I'd bet we could start guessing ages based on some of these film lists.

I love the idea of movies as an interview question. Very innocent, but very revealing at the same time. My wife and I have very different tastes in movies, but we each have introduced each other to favorite films we would have never watched otherwise. That said, I still can almost sit through a romantic comedy now. Not sure if I am appreciating them more or I love my wife enough not to walk out...

I asked this in my original post and I will ask it again. Can anyone name a film that you would consider excellent or a favorite that you would not watch again?

 

[Mousse]

Can anyone name a film that you would consider excellent or a favorite that you would not watch again?

There is ONE movie--not a favorite, but very good--I would never want to watch again: Barefoot Gen. A very disturbing and shocking movie.

 

[D.T.]

As I predicted, very little animation (Is it because it is "kids stuff", not "serious" film, or just overlooked?).

I definitely have plenty of animation on my favorites list(s), and not even in an animation specific category.

The Iron Giant
The Incredibles
Toy Story 1, 2, 3
Wall-e
Spirited Away
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Watership Down
Grave of the Fireflies
Princess Mononoke

Can anyone name a film that you would consider excellent or a favorite that you would not watch again?

That's an interesting question. Part of my definition of being a favorite is that I can re-watch it, over and over ... but there are a few movies I consider excellent in their execution, I engaged deeply with them as I watched, but I wanted to leave it as just a one time experience. The Tree of Life is a good example.

 

[Huntn]

I find it interesting to look at everyone's list as a whole. As I predicted, very little animation (Is it because it is "kids stuff", not "serious" film, or just overlooked?). The lists either slant to classics or modern film. There is also a pretty heavy Sci-Fi bias here as well. I'd bet we could start guessing ages based on some of these film lists.

I love the idea of movies as an interview question. Very innocent, but very revealing at the same time. My wife and I have very different tastes in movies, but we each have introduced each other to favorite films we would have never watched otherwise. That said, I still can almost sit through a romantic comedy now. Not sure if I am appreciating them more or I love my wife enough not to walk out...

I asked this in my original post and I will ask it again. Can anyone name a film that you would consider excellent or a favorite that you would not watch again?

Reference excellent movies I did not like... Most of these are based on subject matter or general depressing story-
Schindler's List
Cold Mountain
The Road
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Black Swan
China Town
Million Dollar Baby
Elephant Man

Both Cold Mountain and The Road were real downers, because when you endure something, you're hoping there will be some uplift at the end. Otherwise you can recognize it's brilliance, those feelings are somewhat neutered by the empty feeling you have after watching it.

 

[0098386]

I asked this in my original post and I will ask it again. Can anyone name a film that you would consider excellent or a favorite that you would not watch again?

Truman Show and Blade Runner. I loved everything about them and listen to the soundtracks still, but I felt done with both after the second watching.

 

[D.T.]

Most of these are based on subject matter or general depressing story-
Schindler's List
Cold Mountain
The Road
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Black Swan
China Town
Million Dollar Baby
Elephant Man

Both Cold Mountain and The Road were real downers, because when you endure something, you're hoping there will be some uplift at the end. Otherwise you can recognize it's brilliance, those feelings are somewhat neutered by the empty feeling you have after watching it.

Nice, yeah. I bolded a few I consider amazing films, but that I likely wouldn't watch again.

The films in red, I'd watch over and over, I agree about them tonally, but there's something about them that draw me back in

Side note: haven't seen Cold Mountain but I've been meaning to for some time.

 

[filmbufs]

I find it interesting to look at everyone's list as a whole. As I predicted, very little animation (Is it because it is "kids stuff", not "serious" film, or just overlooked?). The lists either slant to classics or modern film. There is also a pretty heavy Sci-Fi bias here as well. I'd bet we could start guessing ages based on some of these film lists.

I love the idea of movies as an interview question. Very innocent, but very revealing at the same time. My wife and I have very different tastes in movies, but we each have introduced each other to favorite films we would have never watched otherwise. That said, I still can almost sit through a romantic comedy now. Not sure if I am appreciating them more or I love my wife enough not to walk out...

I asked this in my original post and I will ask it again. Can anyone name a film that you would consider excellent or a favorite that you would not watch again?

What movies would I consider excellent but would not watch again? That is a tough question. One of the ways I can answer that is by listing a few movies that are excellent but I have yet to watch again. That could be due to availability or a merely a lack of interest.

• Life of Pi - This is an excellent, beautiful film. I wouldn't mind seeing this again but I have yet to do so.
• Vertigo - Not my favorite Hitchcock film (North by Northwest is) but I've only seen it once and 'might' watch it if I were flipping channels and spotted it on TCM.
• Spartacus - I liked it, I enjoyed it but I haven't seen it since it was re-released in the 90s.
• How Green Was My Valley - It won the Academy Award in 1941 beating Citizen Kane for best picture, something that seems implausible now. I watched it on TCM many years ago and came to the conclusion it swept up the audience in sentimentality. Which happens, as noted in a few examples below.
• Kramer vs Kramer - A wonderful movie tackling a subject matter close to the pulse of the society of that time. But... it won Best Picture over Apocalypse Now. Seriously?
• Coming Home - Excellent movie about a soldier returning from Vietnam and a much quieter movie than The Deer Hunter.
• Ordinary People - Another well-crafted, well-acted movie but it's nearly impossible to imagine how it won Best Picture over Raging Bull.
• Chariots of Fire - A movie I wouldn't mind seeing but haven't seen since it's first release.
• Million Dollar Baby - I remember enjoying this movie when it came out and haven't seen it since.
• The Departed - The only movie in which Scorsese wins an AA for Best Director. Which is mind-blowing when you consider the other iconic, classic movies that are far superior to this film.

Oh, I could go on and on and on.

 

[Huntn]

What movies would I consider excellent but would not watch again? That is a tough question. One of the ways I can answer that is by listing a few movies that are excellent but I have yet to watch again. That could be due to availability or a merely a lack of interest.

• Life of Pi - This is an excellent, beautiful film. I wouldn't mind seeing this again but I have yet to do so.
• Vertigo - Not my favorite Hitchcock film (North by Northwest is) but I've only seen it once and 'might' watch it if I were flipping channels and spotted it on TCM.
• Spartacus - I liked it, I enjoyed it but I haven't seen it since it was re-released in the 90s.
• How Green Was My Valley - It won the Academy Award in 1941 beating Citizen Kane for best picture, something that seems implausible now. I watched it on TCM many years ago and came to the conclusion it swept up the audience in sentimentality. Which happens, as noted in a few examples below.
• Kramer vs Kramer - A wonderful movie tackling a subject matter close to the pulse of the society of that time. But... it won Best Picture over Apocalypse Now. Seriously?
• Coming Home - Excellent movie about a soldier returning from Vietnam and a much quieter movie than The Deer Hunter.
• Ordinary People - Another well-crafted, well-acted movie but it's nearly impossible to imagine how it won Best Picture over Raging Bull.
• Chariots of Fire - A movie I wouldn't mind seeing but haven't seen since it's first release.
• Million Dollar Baby - I remember enjoying this movie when it came out and haven't seen it since.
• The Departed - The only movie in which Scorsese wins an AA for Best Director. Which is mind-blowing when you consider the other iconic, classic movies that are far superior to this film.

Oh, I could go on and on and on.

North by Northwest might make my top 5. I first saw this movie as a kid and it was and retains my devotion. An amazing adventure. In the movie thread a short time ago, I posted some pics of the sets they built to represent descending over the face of Mt Rushmore. And I loved that house which was a mat painting.

 

[filmbufs]

NxNW is definitely an adventure. I love all of the locations, the mistaken identities and the suspense. There are many Hitchcock films to love but the many facets of NxNW is fantastic.

I'd like to see those behind-the-scenes pictures if you can find a link to them.