Your top 10 movies of ALL time?

[Master P]

Let's see what I can come up with... and again, this is in no particular order.

-The Godfather
-Fight Club
-Super Troopers
-Clerks
-Batman
-Pulp Fiction
-To Kill A Mockingbird
-Spiderman 2
-Back to the Future movies (all of them)
-The Shawshank Redemption

Among my other favorites are Batman Returns, Ichi the Killer, Sin City, Casshern, Purple Rain, Dogma, The Terminator movies, Garden State, Spinal Tap, Batman Begins, Kill Bill, The Italian Job (the original, not the remake!), Enter The Dragon, Do The Right Thing, Once Upon a Time in Mexico (salutes Bolt) Akira, Serpico, Tora Tora Tora and Training Day.

My favorite tokusatsu film is probably Kamen Rider Ryuki: Episode Final. I think it was far better than the TV series. Ryuki done right, basically.

And I actually watched Gigli, though I'm not proud of myself. How can I describe it? It's like the opposite of masturbation. It's knowingly doing something very, very harmful to yourself.

-Master P

 

[Shougo B'Stard]

It was a little bizarre, but before making statements like that, you need to see Tetsuo: The Iron Man and Visitor Q (the former probably being the most nonsensical, deviant freak of filmmaking nature I've ever seen).

I haven't seen Tetsuo (but judging by the couple other Tsukamoto movies I've seen, it obviously must be nuts), but Visitor Q is by far much more disturbing and freaky than Happiness of the Katakuris. I like Miike's movies ( I wouldn't say I'm a fan, I think his movies are just trashy and fun, much like Paul Verhoeven's stuff), but I hated Katakuris, it was too damn stupid. A funny idea, but done really poorly, I think was the problem.

Visitor Q...my advice is don't read a damn spoiler before watching that movie. I read a spoiler-heavy review before watching it. Avoid spoilers. While the material will still freak you out, it must be quite a trip if you dive into it not knowing what to expect. And remember that Miike calls it a "nice little family film." Witness the brilliance that is Kenichi Endou, he effin' completely and fearlessly puts himself into that character.

 

[Bolt]

I noticed you added Ichi the Killer, and I know Shougo likes it, so let me ask you guys a question--what exactly about it do you like? Not a criticism, it just seems to be on a lot of lists from Miike fans and Miike first-timers alike when I really just wasn't smitten by it.

I'd also like to get your perspectives on WTF happened at the end. :laugh:

 

[Master P]

That's what it's about man, you've got the right idea. Films are about entertainment, quality is in the eye of the beholder. One man's Citizen Kane is another man's Mortal Kombat.

Hells yeah. That's the right way to look at it. I can honestly say I didn't care much for Versus; but a LOT of people really do, so maybe I'm the one who's wrong. Then again, I think Daredevil wasn't nearly as bad as some people made it out to be, so what the hell do I know? :laugh:

-Master P

 

[Bolt]

I haven't seen Tetsuo (but judging by the couple other Tsukamoto movies I've seen, it obviously must be nuts)

The only Shinya Tsukamoto film I'd seen previously was Tokyo Fist so I really wasn't prepared at all for the kind of stuff that Tetsu brought to the table. It was just, to put it simply, a really fucked up movie. See it just because no one else has. Not only did a lot of not make sense (except maybe to Tsukamoto, if that).... well... none of it made sense.

Hells yeah. That's the right way to look at it. I can honestly say I didn't care much for Versus; but a LOT of people really do, so maybe I'm the one who's wrong. Then again, I think Daredevil wasn't nearly as bad as some people made it out to be, so what the hell do I know?

Well, I was already a Kitamura fan from seeing Heat After Dark and Down 2 Hell, and loved both, and as a fellow director I respect his style and admire him a lot (even though he can be a bit of an ass at time; hey, so can I! :laugh. Sometimes I'm a little ashamed to put down Versus as a huge favorite because of the sheer number of Asian cinema "n00bs" that put it down just because they heard it was cool, but hell, I love the way it was shot, and like Kitamura or not, that movie played a huge role in rejuvenating Japanese action cinema.

 

[Shougo B'Stard]

I'd also like to get your perspectives on WTF happened at the end. :laugh:

I have to admit that I feel a bit ashamed at myself when I watch that movie with its contents -- I know I shouldn't watch it so much, with how repulsive it is, but I continue to watch it. :laugh:

I mostly like how it looks and, when I first saw it, I was a little blown away with Asano's performance. I'm used to seeing yakuza guys being so damn over-the-top and yelling, snarling, that I liked this quiet yakuza guy for a change, that barely spoke above a whisper.

I think what I like most about Ichi, and a lot of Miike's movies, I think, is that he really doesn't try to glorify the mob life. That's something American mob movies are really guilty of, when Miike creates these awful worlds you wouldn't want to be a part of. Everyone in Ichi the Killer is a vile deviant, and they pretty much are all punished for it.

The end, from my take, is Ichi literally cries himself to death. Kakihara is disappointed as hell that his great Ichi is a whining wuss, so he punctures his ear-drums so he doesn't hear the crying, imagining in his head the perfect Ichi match (in which Ichi kills the kid and then Kakihara). Notice that when Shinya Tsukamoto checks out Kakihara's head in the end, there's no wound, so it was just a fantasy, it didn't happen.

I think the guy walking with the school kids in the end was the cop's kid (Takeshi?), all grown up, pretty much the new Ichi -- a psychotic, murderous masochist. The part I don't understand is the guy hanging from the tree -- it's obviously Jijii, and I just think Miike was trying to be weird and arty for the shot. I take it as Jijii saw his dream realized -- wiping out the Anjou gangs, having Ichi disposed of. So, he had nothing left to live for.

 

[Bolt]

The end, from my take, is Ichi literally cries himself to death. Kakihara is disappointed as hell that his great Ichi is a whining wuss, so he punctures his ear-drums so he doesn't hear the crying, imagining in his head the perfect Ichi match (in which Ichi kills the kid and then Kakihara). Notice that when Shinya Tsukamoto checks out Kakihara's head in the end, there's no wound, so it was just a fantasy, it didn't happen.

I think the guy walking with the school kids in the end was the cop's kid (Takeshi?), all grown up, pretty much the new Ichi -- a psychotic, murderous masochist. The part I don't understand is the guy hanging from the tree -- it's obviously Jijii, and I just think Miike was trying to be weird and arty for the shot. I take it as Jijii saw his dream realized -- wiping out the Anjou gangs, having Ichi disposed of. So, he had nothing left to live for.

Most of that makes sense, but like you said, I would bet a lot of it just stems from Miike's need to always be curbing the audience. I've only seen the movie like 3 times though (pretty sad considering I've owned it for a long time), maybe I should watch it again.

And if you think Ichi was repulsive, you should definitely see Tetsuo. There wasn't anything too graphic in it really (well, the phallic-drill and most of that part of the film was a bit much), but for some reason it just seems like a filthy, morally shameful film. Good job, Tsukamoto!

 

[scikaiju]

in the ever popular no particular order

Highlander
Destroy All Monsters
Kamen Rider 555: Paridice Lost
Ultraman Tiga the Final Oddessy
Star Wars The Return of the Jedi
Star Trek 4 the Voyage Home
Daimajin
Batman
GMK
The Increadibles

 

[I_Legend]

1. The Wedding Singer
2. SPEED
3. Ace Ventura The Pet Detective 1
4. Batman Returns feat. Michael Keaton
5. City Hunter feat. Jacky Chan
6. Bad Boys I
7. Anger Management
8. Hitch
9. The Terminal
10. The HOT Chick

 

[MaraJade]

Movies I can recite line for line:
-Top Gun
-Singin' in the Rain
-Emperor's New Groove *Yes, I realize it's Disney*

Other faves, but I have to be in the mood:
-Life is Beautiful
-Patch Adams
-What Women Want
-Whale Rider
-Taeguki
-Dogma

Action Movies:
-Independence Day
-Spy Game
-Minority Report
-Spiderman I and II
-Xmen - I, II
-Gladiator
-House of Flying Daggers

Toku-ish movies:
-Paradise Lost DC
-Volcano High

Honorable mentions: Airforce I, *I should just say that I have probably watched or own(ed) almost every Disney movie out there*, Jurassic Park, The Star Wars Trilogy - I prolly have more, but I can't think of them all- heck my collection has more...that should be enough grounds for honorable mention.