I might catch some heat for this, but I think The Devil's Brigade is a perfect movie, as well.
Movies that are Perfect:
- Thread starter Snark218
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If we want to talk about misfit military movies, I need to nominate Kelly's Heroes.
This scene alone is gold.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csv1wXOr5tY
This scene alone is gold.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csv1wXOr5tY
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I've seen that movie a number of times and it's only now that I noticed they added in jangling spur noises when they are walking.
It's one of the reasons the movie is high art. Eastwood, Sutherland, Rickles, Savalas, O'Conner, MacLeod, Lesser, Stanton, and of course,
Karl-Otto Alberty as the German tank commander at the end.
It's a who's who of great comedic and character actors just having fun and mashing together every genre in the book.
Karl-Otto Alberty as the German tank commander at the end.
It's a who's who of great comedic and character actors just having fun and mashing together every genre in the book.
And apparently Don Rickles broke Client Eastwood's balls mercilessly the entire time.
There’s something wrong with me. Every time I see this thread, the first thing that comes to mind is “Big Trouble in Little China.”
Groundhog Day for me. It hits every note, perfectly.
Ghostbusters.
Zoolander. It is so, so dumb, but knowingly so. I love it. If the metric is “it does what it sets out to do” then Zoolander has to be on the list.
Everything Everywhere All At Once. I don’t know if it’ll stand the test of time but it is a masterpiece.
What We Do In The Shadows.
Apollo 13.
Mary Poppins. Not just the performances, but it’s a technical marvel.
The Sound of Music.
Ghostbusters.
Zoolander. It is so, so dumb, but knowingly so. I love it. If the metric is “it does what it sets out to do” then Zoolander has to be on the list.
Everything Everywhere All At Once. I don’t know if it’ll stand the test of time but it is a masterpiece.
What We Do In The Shadows.
Apollo 13.
Mary Poppins. Not just the performances, but it’s a technical marvel.
The Sound of Music.
Should have brought this one up myself. One of two movies I've absolutely loved in the past 5 years (the other is The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent which I'm certain doesn't belong here).
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Both of those movies are so great. Ms Cognac and I loved every second of them. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent was so unexpectedly good. We'd heard good reviews, but we just didn't know. I agree that it doesn't belong on this list though, despite it's thorough enjoyableness.
Joker is either terrible, or it’s perfect.
What a brilliant film. What an awful movie.
As a straight film and story? It’s not my cup of tea, it drags in so many places, and it just doesn’t feel… Joker… enough in regards to the scale of the chaos.
However!
If you instead accept the premise that the entire film from the start to the scene at the end where he is talking to his case worker in Arkham is one of those “Joker origin stories“ that he’s just telling her (in the vein of all the different ‘you know how I got these scars’ moments)? And that the only “real” moments in the film are the end of that interview, the murder of the case worker, and him being restrained while bloody and cackling madly? It turns perfect. All of the things that don’t fit or are changed or skewed from establish mythos? That’s fine. Just leans into the concept that none of the Joker origins are true because all of them are true… depending on the mood of the titular Joker.
I rewatched it after using that as my head canon, and it completely changed the film for me. This is a story, a self made “fable” he’s telling to a case worker so that Joker can get just… close… enough… to laugh. And it works beautifully as a vehicle to both make him appear more vulnerable and less harmful while simultaneously lowering the case workers‘ guard.
However!
If you instead accept the premise that the entire film from the start to the scene at the end where he is talking to his case worker in Arkham is one of those “Joker origin stories“ that he’s just telling her (in the vein of all the different ‘you know how I got these scars’ moments)? And that the only “real” moments in the film are the end of that interview, the murder of the case worker, and him being restrained while bloody and cackling madly? It turns perfect. All of the things that don’t fit or are changed or skewed from establish mythos? That’s fine. Just leans into the concept that none of the Joker origins are true because all of them are true… depending on the mood of the titular Joker.
I rewatched it after using that as my head canon, and it completely changed the film for me. This is a story, a self made “fable” he’s telling to a case worker so that Joker can get just… close… enough… to laugh. And it works beautifully as a vehicle to both make him appear more vulnerable and less harmful while simultaneously lowering the case workers‘ guard.
What a brilliant film. What an awful movie.
Da fuq? Three pages in and nobody has mentioned Kurosawa?
The Seven Samurai. Often imitated, never matched.
Yojimbo. So good, Sergio Leone ripped it off in an almost shot-for-shot remake called "A Fistful of Dollars."
Rashomon. Three versions of the story, and then the truth.
Bonus points: All three films have Mifune Toshiro's teeth marks ALL over the scenery. Guy could chew it like nobody else.
The Seven Samurai. Often imitated, never matched.
Yojimbo. So good, Sergio Leone ripped it off in an almost shot-for-shot remake called "A Fistful of Dollars."
Rashomon. Three versions of the story, and then the truth.
Bonus points: All three films have Mifune Toshiro's teeth marks ALL over the scenery. Guy could chew it like nobody else.
Margin Call is good. I think that I like The Big Short better though.
Seen it a couple of times. Never got into it. It's kind of like Naked Lunch for me in that regard. I get it as an art-house film, but classic? Nah.
Don't forget Hidden Fortress.
I guess it comes down to Kurosawa simply being so absolutely foundational to post-1950s filmmaking that his works being perfect goes without saying. Trying to dispute that his works are masterpieces is pretty much outing oneself as a stubborn contrarian.
I'd say Brazil deserves "classic", but it's a flawed one. Not perfect at all.
I don't think Ghostbusters has aged well, either. So I'm not totally in sync with the thread.
I wouldn't call it perfect, but try watching it as part of the 'Hidden Trilogy': Brazil (1985), The Trial (1962, Welles/Kafka), Fight Club (1999)
Rear Window (1954, haven't seen the remake)
My other choices have mostly been covered here.
My other choices have mostly been covered here.
Most of what I'd mention has been listed out.
I think John Woo's "Hard Boiled" needs a mention. "The Killers" is more operatic, but Hard Boiled is more fun.
Jet Li's "Once Upon A Time in China" blew my mind when I saw it first.
"The Sweet Smell of Success" stars Tony Curtis and Kirk Douglas and has some of the most beautiful black and white cinematography ever. It is gorgeous (and sleazy).
I'm surprised no Hitchcock got mentioned. Vertigo or Psycho.
Diva is great, if you like movies about icepick-wielding hitmen, bootleg opera, and moped chases through Paris.
I think John Woo's "Hard Boiled" needs a mention. "The Killers" is more operatic, but Hard Boiled is more fun.
Jet Li's "Once Upon A Time in China" blew my mind when I saw it first.
"The Sweet Smell of Success" stars Tony Curtis and Kirk Douglas and has some of the most beautiful black and white cinematography ever. It is gorgeous (and sleazy).
I'm surprised no Hitchcock got mentioned. Vertigo or Psycho.
Diva is great, if you like movies about icepick-wielding hitmen, bootleg opera, and moped chases through Paris.
Low budget - lets just say that Bellflower got robbed by some stupid black and white Mime movie for best low budget film at the Academy awards.
A few movies I don't think I saw mentioned:
The Prestige
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Lucky Number Slevin
The last is probably the most underrated. It is a great ride if you've never seen it and if you haven't you'll wonder why you haven't heard of a movie with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Lucy Liu, and Josh Harnett.
Granted none of these meet the criteria set out in the OP. I'm not sure I could hum a tune from any of the three (I could say the same about almost any hitchcock film), but I don't think anything has hit it all. Maybe it's got a great score/soundtrack but the pacing drags somewhere (because a director likes feet too much).
As a quick side note for the movie trivia lovers, a fun game is moviegrid.io
The Prestige
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Lucky Number Slevin
The last is probably the most underrated. It is a great ride if you've never seen it and if you haven't you'll wonder why you haven't heard of a movie with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Lucy Liu, and Josh Harnett.
Granted none of these meet the criteria set out in the OP. I'm not sure I could hum a tune from any of the three (I could say the same about almost any hitchcock film), but I don't think anything has hit it all. Maybe it's got a great score/soundtrack but the pacing drags somewhere (because a director likes feet too much).
As a quick side note for the movie trivia lovers, a fun game is moviegrid.io
Post #58
I only chose Yojimbo because I consider it to be the most pure one in terms of perfection, but yeah, all of the above.
I must admit I still haven't watched a Kurosawa movie.
I don't think I've seen enough westerns, or any recently enough, to really have an opinion on that genre any more. It bothers me though. Pale Rider is the one I keep thinking I want to watch again.
I also can't think of a really 'perfect' war movie. We did have a thread on that once - by Demento? Can't remember now.
Of all the comic book movies, probably only 300 stands out to me.
And OMG I'm first, at page 3, to mention Gladiator!! Literally the first film I intend to buy and watch on 4K when we finally (ever?) get a 4K tv...
I'll keep thinking, coz this topic is weighing on me... (next up, perfect 80s movies ...hmmmm).
I don't think I've seen enough westerns, or any recently enough, to really have an opinion on that genre any more. It bothers me though. Pale Rider is the one I keep thinking I want to watch again.
I also can't think of a really 'perfect' war movie. We did have a thread on that once - by Demento? Can't remember now.
Of all the comic book movies, probably only 300 stands out to me.
And OMG I'm first, at page 3, to mention Gladiator!! Literally the first film I intend to buy and watch on 4K when we finally (ever?) get a 4K tv...
I'll keep thinking, coz this topic is weighing on me... (next up, perfect 80s movies ...hmmmm).
I remember this getting screened, many years ago, on BBC2 under Alex (Repo Man) Cox's late night 'Moviedrome' movie slot, and in the intro he (in typically perceptive fashion) observed that: "If Fellini had made this in 1986 it would have won half a dozen Oscars, but he didn't. Sergio Leone made it in 1966."
I'm not sure it's perfect, but it's definitely fantastic.
For a classic: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence.
Unforgiven is really good, of course.
Sliverado is ridiculously entertaining, with an absolute stacked cast.
Get yourself to your TV and rent Ran! It’s an outstanding Kurosawa movie, a perfect war movie, and also a clever samurai version of King Lear!
Oh man, how could I forget?
The Intouchables
I can highly, highly recommend. Even if you can't speak French. It's such a great movie.
The Intouchables
I can highly, highly recommend. Even if you can't speak French. It's such a great movie.
Not sure i would call it perfect but whenever Papillon (1973) happens to be on TV I'll watch it, same goes for The Great Escape (1963)
It's a good movie. The sequels weren't quite as good, but I did appreciate them closing out the arc effectively.
Anyone mention Zombieland yet?
It has the story, characters, performances, pacing, production value, etc.
Maybe Adventure Land too, although I think the ending was a little weak. I felt that Jessie Eissenberg's character came off as a complete psycho at that point.
It has the story, characters, performances, pacing, production value, etc.
Maybe Adventure Land too, although I think the ending was a little weak. I felt that Jessie Eissenberg's character came off as a complete psycho at that point.
