TM's "Favourite (Insert Person, Place, or Thing) Movie" Thread

[Mr. TM]

What is your favourite western film of all time? We all love them, the desert, the gun smoke, the John Wayne, everything about them. And if you don't love them, you aren't American.

My favourite western is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The film is 40 years old and I can watch it tomorrow with the movie will still hold up. Redford and Newman. The movie combines humour with seriousness, as the Archie and Jughead of the west (and Bolivia) entertained us.

2. The Dirty Dozen
3. Blazing Saddles
4. No Country for Old Men
5. Unforgiven

 

[Mr. TM]

With the passing of Remembrance Day in Canada, and Veterans Day in America, and Wanker Day in UK, the TV was filled with some fantastic war films. reenacting wars can be a great way to perk youths attention in history, even if history films come no where near the experience of war, or the actual wars they are bring to the audience.

I watch it once a year since it came out, and each time I am awestruck for the near 30 minute introduction to the film. Watching it on TV this year, I was pleased that the didn't cut the scene into commercials, and did not cut one moment of the battle for the beaches of Normandy. Saving Private Ryan is one of the best made movies I have ever seen, as we get to know the characters as they advance through France in the adventure for Private Ryan.

Enemy at the Gates
Schindler's List
Apocalypse Now
The Bridge over the River Kwai

 

[X]

Ehh, I'm not really sure you could call No Country For Old Men a Western. It really doesn't fit into the genre, it's much more of a crime-drama. That and there aren't many Western films set in the 1980s.

My favorite Western, that's a tough one. I'll have to limit it to about four or five I guess. First up is the classic Howard Hawks production Rio Bravo. John Wayne and Dean Martin is enough to draw you into a film, but with a script that good and a film this brilliant, it's probably my all time favorite western. This is really the film that got me into Westerns in the first place, and I could probably watch it a hundred times and never tire of it. Since then I've become a bit of a Western mark, especially for Wayne's films.

A few other films worth mentioning are A Fistful of Dynamite, which is a Sergio Leone film with Rod Steiger which is set in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. A truly overlooked and underrated spaghetti western classic. Obviously when you mention Leone's name, you have to mention the Man With No Name trilogy, as well as Once Upon a Time in the West. Really you can't go wrong with almost anything Leone did.

Two films I want to mention as well are Django, a film probably best known for inspiring Tarantino's ear-cutting scene in Reservoir Dogs, though it's really alot better than just that and worth checking out, bringing violence to the western like never before at that time.

Finally, a film that competes with Rio Bravo for my favorite western, and that's Alejandro Jodorowsky's El Topo, one of the most unique films I've ever seen. It's hard to classify it purely as a Western, but it truly is, although it incorporates a large amount of surrealism and allegory. Much of the cast are physically deformed in some way, a common theme in Jodorowsky's films, and you're led on a gunman's journey for enlightenment and all of the violence and madness that ensues.This is a cult classic and a famed midnight movie, and something any self respecting film buff should get their hands on. Jodorowsky is really a brilliant filmmaker who doesn't seem to get acclaim that he rightfully deserves, and El Topo is possibly his greatest film (though Santa Sangre could be argued his greatest as well). Highly, highly recommend you seek this film out if you're a fan of spaghetti westerns, cult classics, surrealism, or just a good fucking movie in general.

El Topo and Rio Bravo take the cake for me I guess. Honorable mentions to Unforgiven and The Shootist as well.

 

[X]

Now that's a tough fucking question TM. I'm a big war film buff, and the choices are endless. Do I go with an epic like Saving Private Ryan? Do I go with a film dealing with the mental effects of war, like Apocalypse Now? Or do I go the unconventional route and go with a war film from a different perspective other than that of America, like Letters From Iwo Jima, Gallipoli, or Das Boot?

All of the films I just named are dear to my heart. I'll try my best to come up with a list of five films TM, but I know I'll be leaving something vital out. The five films that come to mind though are Platoon, Apocalypse Now, The Thin Red Line, Saving Private Ryan, and Gallipoli.

Vietnam war films tend to be my favorite, probably because of the effect it had on my parents generation and the closeness and fascination I've always felt with the 1960s. When it comes to Vienam films, there are two that take the cake, and those are Platoon and Apocalypse Now. While I believe Apocalypse Now is the better overall film of the two, Platoon is the better war film if that makes sense. Apocalypse Now deals with much more than just the conflict in Vietnam, whereas Platoon is just the daily life of a soldier in the war and all of the lows and highs. Several scenes in that film never fail to disturb me, particularly those involving the psychotic Bunny (Kevin Dillon of Entourage fame).

When it comes down to it, I'd go with either Platoon, or the criminally overlooked Thin Red Line. Sucks that Saving Private Ryan overshadowed this film, because frankly I think it's twice the film Ryan is without a bit of the sentimentalism. Countless great performances, brutal and expertly staged battles on Guadalcanal, a true epic in every sense of the word. If you've never seen it, I HIGHLY recommend you get your hands on it immediately.

Honorable mentions to Full Metal Jacket, Deer Hunter, Paths of Glory, The Longest Day, Letters From Iwo Jima, and Black Hawk Down.

Oh...and, uh, did you really pick Enemy At the Gates TM? That film was terrible from start to finish.

 

[Shadowmancer]

There are a number of War movies that I rate, but I will keep it short and sweet.

The Guns of Navarone, great movie with Gregory Peck and well it is a pretty all star cast, great film with the attack on a German Gun emplacement on a Greek Island. Great story, it isn't historically accurate in the slightest but it is a good war movie.

Bataan is another one that I rate highly, I enjoyed it immensely when I first saw it, much of it is from the brilliant characterisations that are in play, it is even where a number of the stereotypical war movie cliches are born. Robert Taylor playing the quintessential tough hero. It was just the movie that was needed to drive forward people to join the army in the Second World War. Watch for the extreme high explosive grenades they are awesome.

before I get onto my last one I will say some about a movie that I loath beyond all doubt. And that is U-571. These are the words that I have to say on it.

"Star Wars is more Historically Accurate than U-571"

That is all I will say about that.

Now onto the final War movie that I will say that is worth watching and this is different from the others that have been mentioned because this is a completely fictional war in the future. "Starship Troopers" while yes it is crap compared to the book, it is still a verygood war movie where the enemy has reached the final end of the de-humanisation scale.

 

[jmt225]

The Western genre is by far my least favorite genre in film. My Grandfather loved Western films and even watching it repeatedly with him while growing up, I still never got into them. There is honestly not one John Wayne movie I like. Not one.

That said, there were still two Westerns released this decade that I loved, and that's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and 3:10 to Yuma, which I believe was actually a remake from an old Western film with the same title.

Like I said, I loved both movies, but if I had to pick one, then I would go with the Jesse James flick. Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck are beyond terrific in it, and I thought it was just a very interesting film from start to finish. A lot of people find it to be a bit slow and too long, but I completely disagree with both sentiments because Pitt and Affleck just draw you in with each scene they're in, and that's ultimately what made the film so good in my eyes.

 

[jmt225]

This is a very, very tough question.

I think I would have to go with The Last Samurai, though. I cannot put into words just how much I love this film. I'm just a huge fan of Asian culture, and never has an American studio capture what Japan was like before the 1900s. Sure, there is a lot of exaggeration in the movie, but I don't care about that kind of stuff. This movie is flat out amazing from start to finish. Seriously, the acting, action and dialogue could not have been any better. Nothing will ever pass this film as my favorite when it comes to War Movies.

To pick an American War film, I would have to go with The Thin Red Line, with Full Metal Jacket, The Patriot and Jarhead not too far behind. Loved all of them. I know The Patriot and Jarhead are weird choices, but what can I say? Both films pulled me in, and both entertained the fuck out of me.

I'm also a big fan of Platoon, The Deer Hunter, and the two Eastwood films that were released a couple of years ago, Letters From Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers.

I have to say though, I despised Apocalypse Now. However, it was a couple of years ago when I first saw it and I haven't watched it since, so maybe a second viewing would change my opinion on it. But while I admired the acting from Martin Sheen in the film, overall I just didn't dig it outside of the Robert Duvall scene, which I admit was fantastic.

Also, I saw my man Xfear mentioned Gallipoli as one of his favorites. Unfortunately, I haven't seen that one, but now it's on the list of films I need to see and after I do so X, I'll make sure to let you know what I think.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

Also, I saw my man Xfear mentioned Gallipoli as one of his favorites. Unfortunately, I haven't seen that one, but now it's on the list of films I need to see and after I do so X, I'll make sure to let you know what I think.

Yeah pretty good. Gallipoli is like our...uh...Gettysburg or Alamo I guess. Big battle we commemorate every year. Mel Gibson is tops in it, and although they don't actually spend that much time on the front lines, I think that was the message. It was basically mucking around until they got to the front lines, then they were killed. That's war. For bonus points, listen to the mind blowing soundtrack, especially when they're crossing the desert. It will shatter your soul.

For my favourite war movies, I would have to stick to something to which X alluded to, and that is war movies that aren't typically just based on "we're the good guys, theyre the bad guys, lets go attack". I thoroughly enjoyed Letter From Iwo Jima, and I thought it humanised the Japanese in that movie quite well.

 

[NSL]

Great question, TM...I'm not sure which one to go with though. I love some of the modern ones like Letters From Iwo Jima, Flags Of Our Fathers, and Saving Private Ryan, but I'm also a huge fan of classics like Full Metal Jacket and Platoon.

It's a great genre, and rarely goes wrong, so it's genuinely hard to say which one is my favorite, compared to which may be the best. After taking a long look at the list of just the ones I own, I'll probably go with we Were Soldiers. The cast is brilliant, they tell a great little-known story, and it covers every aspect of war. They show what's happening in the heads of the soldiers, as well as their families, and they give you a peak at the enemy.

Can't really go wrong with a number of films here though.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

This is an easy choice for me: Come and See is the best war film ever made, period. I honestly am not a big fan of war films, as, more often than not, they come off as pieces of propaganda. That is to say, they always seem to stress a "good vs. evil" mentality and the honor of killing for your country.

Come and See is the only war film I've seen that emphasizes how pointless and utterly destructive war is. As I said about it in a thread I made a while back, it's like watching what it would be like to walk through hell. Of course, I think the best books about war ever written are Slaughterhouse Five and For Whom The Bell Tolls, so, this probably goes a long way in explaining why I loved this movie so much.

 

[NSL]

My dad, like most dads, was a huge Dirty Harry fan. Pick any of those movies, and they'd probably classify as a favorite. Eastwood is just amazing, and I wish he was still acting in old-school Westerns.

I'm also a big fan of Tombstone. The cast fit their roles well, and I don't regret watching it, which is always a good thing. I won't lie and say I've seen a million old westerns, so you'll have to string me up for naming something made within 15 years for this category

 

[INDYjon22]

I've always been pretty partial to Platoon and would easily label that my favorite war movie. When im in the mood for a war movie thats the one that I pop in the dvd player and watch. Maybe it's because the Vietnam war intrigues me. Maybe its because I love Willem Dafoe. Regardless thats one that I really like.

I also enjoy Full Metal Jacket, if you count that one as a war movie. I mean it is set in Vietnam but the first half is more about boot camp and the second half is actually in Vietnam. Saving Private Ryan is good as well but I can only watch it when it's on tv, don't really know why. But yeah I would say Platoon is my favorite war movie.

 

[Mr. TM]

There are tons of those movies about those boats that live underwater out there, so a simple question is asking you "Which One Is your Favourite?".

I think a common answer of many people here is mine. The Hunt For Red October is a movie I have seen dozens of times, and I continue to watch it each and every time I see it on TV, which is great, because its usually on when there is shit to watch. I think it gives the audience one of the best action film with substance set in the iron underwater caskets.

So which film is yours?

 

[Paradox]

Hunt for Red October is a great movie. I love to sit and watch whenever it comes on, but it's not my favorite. That goes to U-571 I thought it was a great movie. I can watch it whenever it comes on at whatever part it is at. I love the cat and mouse game that is played through out the whole movie. (as is the case with most sub movies.) It's one of my all time favorite movies.

 

[Mr. TM]

Ever been in the jailhouse? Ever seen Jailhouse Rock? Don't worry, for this thread, you need to have done either really.

What is your favourite movie about Prison? I would have to say this is another answer I see being brought up again and again. Shawshank Redemption has been one of my favourite movies of all time for a long time. The film has always fascinated me as a film, from the escape all the way back to the crime. I love the building of the characters, and the character of Red, always narrating.

So what about you?

 

[Mr. TM]

Nah, not films that are American, not films about America, but rather what is your favourite movie that contains the word "America"?

This comes down to two movies for me, American History X and American Beauty. Both films I watched around the same time in my life, but if I had to choose one, I think it is the film I have watched the most of those two, being American History X. The ending of that film is one of the saddest films I have ever saw, but the other emotions contained in it are fantastic, from the Nazi symbol on the shoulder of Norton.

So what about you, what is your favourite movie that contains the word "America" in it?

 

[Mr. TM]

There have been countless films released about the tale of a man versus an animal of some sorts. The could be at sea, in the jungle, in the forests, in apartments, and so many more of locations. But which is your favourite?

I would have to go with Jaws here. The first time I watched it, my dad rented all of them for Halloween, and the first one scared the hell out of me. In fact, it scared my sister away from the ocean for a long time, so I think it did its purpose. I think the scene on the dock is the scariest of all for me. Too bad the sequels, especially the last two were such garbage, although the second is a decent film on its own.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I love to watch Crimson Tide. It's such a great movie. Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman are just great in this movie. Every single confrontation between them is so entertaining, and I love how it's Denzel's new school mentality VS Gene Hackman's "lets just carry out orders, and destroy everything" mentality. Plus James Gandolfini did an awesome job playing an jerk, and Viggo Mortensen (from The Lord Of The Rings) was also very good in this movie.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I'm going with Deep Blue Sea. I absloutley love this damn movie, and it still entertains me everytime I see it. Samuel L Jackson was very good in this movie(the way they killed him off was messed up) and so was LL Cool J. The action was non stop, and the way they built up each kill was great.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

My pick is going to be Escape From Alcatraz(1979). Another Clint Eastwood classic role, when he was in his prime. This movie is sooooo raw,violent, and gritty. It did such a great job of depicting prison life, and it has one of those endings that just leaves you wanting more.

 

[Mr. TM]

Viva Las Vegas... what a great place to film a movie, the glitz and glamour of Sin City. There are hundreds of films set in the city, but which one do you like the most?

I had a hard time thinking about this, after remembering that Smokin' Aces is in Reno.... I decided to that it was between Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Ocean's Eleven (remake). I choose O11, mostly because I watch it a lot more than FALILV. The cast was a great, playing tribute to the rat pack's original. The script was good, the action was good, and the confusing ending is fun to play out.

So which one do you choose? A classic like Casino? Rain Man? 3000 Miles to Graceland?...

 

[jmt225]

Easily Casino, one of the greatest movies ever made, in my opinion.

De Niro, Pesci, and Sharon Stone are all spectacular in this film and makes it what it is, which is like I said... one of the greatest movies of all time. Plus, you can't forget that Martin Scorsese directed the masterpiece, and pretty much anything with Scorsese's flavor on it turns out to be awesome.

But yeah... the film has everything you could ever want in a movie: Violence, comedy, drama, suspense, great dialogue, etc. It's just all kinds of awesome, and no movie set in Vegas comes close, or ever will come close, to touching the greatness that is Casino.

 

[INDYjon22]

No brainer for me here, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I am a HUGE fan of Hunter Thompson and his writing so needless to say I am a big fan of the film adaptation of his most famous work of literature.

I will be honest and say that I did not really like the movie at first but after I read the book and watched it again I fell in love with it. The setting works so well with the entire story centering around one giant acid trip, what a terrible place for that to happen in.

I also strongly believe that it was some of Johnny Depp's and Benicio Del Toros' greatest roles.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Casino hands down. Next to Gangs Of New York, this is probably my favorite movie ever. The acting by Deniro, Pesci, and Sharon Stone was just superb. Joe Pesci easily put on the best performance in this movie. It was messed up what Frank Vincent(Phil from The Sopranos) did to him at the end. I'm still upset Sharon Stone never won an Oscar for her performance in this movie. She did such a great job.

 

[JayBriscoe2010]

Blood in Blood Out: Bound By Honor was amazing! It's about this half white half mexican dude who gets caught up in bad stuff with 1 of his cousins and their friends. Ends up in jail and well I wont spoil it but you gotta see it, it really is a Jail House Gem if I can put it like that lol.