The ten best movies you've seen in the past 10 years?

[MSgt]

I guess I did my first ten on another thread. OK, I'll post them here too. My top ten favorite movies:

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Love and a 45
3. Payback
4. Loaded Weapon
5. Sabrina
6. Titannic
7. Baseketball
8. Orgasmo
9. Zoolander
10. Duece Bigalow

:shocked2: Wow, Billo. I must admit, your list really sucks.

 

[mixedmedia]

:shocked2: Wow, Billo. I must admit, you're list really sucks.

Did......did you use a smilie, Gunny????

 

[MSgt]

I interpret the rules to mean the best movies I have seen in the last ten years. I have seen all of these in the last ten years. In no order....


1) Black Hawk Down - This film showed the horrible, gruesome, disorienting reality of modern combat. It also brought home the historical events with a lot of accuracy, even though most Americans were not even aware of it. What happened in Somalia was a foreign policy failure for the U.S., but 'Black Hawk Down' showed where politics end and the real world according to the "soldier" begins.

2) Lord of War - There is a lot of good history and true world events behind the portrayals in the film. I enjoyed the narrative aspect and the "hold nothing back" truth of the subject.

3) Gladiator - I found this to be the most perfect movie I have ever seen. The plot was very deep and defined. The musical score was very fitting and beautiful as was the costuming. The visuals were majestic and so was the camera work. It had a wonderful cast and the acting was superb.

4) Braveheart - What's not to like? The invigorating battle scenes? The historical value? The drama? The inspirational ending? This was an epic worth seeing over and over again.

5) Schindler's List - A masterpiece. A beautiful soundtrack. The human emotion involved with each character, whether evil or good, was rich with value. No one could ever imagine the poetry that could be attached to such a devisating time in human history. Spielberg's use of black and white filming (with a touch of red to personalize the holocaust) was masterful.

6) Saving Private Ryan - Spielberg's re-visit to WWII does it again. This film introduced a bit of realism never before seen in Hollywood. The camera work was superb and the sound editing was beyond reproach. The opening twenty minute scene when the Army was hitting the beach surrounded by chaos set the mood for the film.

7) Fight Club - The viewer is left to interpret what he's seen, which is appropriate since the film condemns falling victim to the strictures of what society tells us to think and to value. In a narrative fashion, the story is told by capturing the mood of the character as we journey through a segment of his life while sorting out his inner monsters and breaks from society.

8) Apocalypse Now - The feel of the movie was disturbing, as it should have been. Unlike America's other wars, Vietnam was a beast of confusion and absent of closure. A diversity of phsycological view points were introduced. It had one of the best poetic endings of any movie I have ever seen.

9) Heat - A bullet ridden story that was brought to life through two great actors - Deniro and Pacino. A story of two characters, one cop and one criminal, who follow the same work ethics, yet have traveled on opposite roads. Both lives are full of personal failures, however their dedication to their "jobs" is what keeps them focused. Where the two meet is classic. Deniro and Pacino facing off on screen for the very first time in a diner having a 15 minute conversation over failures and inevitable consequences, shoves this movie towards the front.

And finally.....

10) The Usual Suspects - This is a tale of pure fantasy that is produced by Kevin Spacey's character for the audience. The imagination of the viewer is what drives the events until the bottom completely falls out in the end and we realize that were just made fools of. Superb mystery and drama and a magnificent ending.

Did I say "fianlly?" Screw that. Anything worth doing is worth doing well....

11) The Godfather Trilogy - That's right, I typed trilogy. A beautifully written and produced story of a crime family that is presented to us through the goal driven and point of views of father and son (Deniro and Pacino on screen but never in the same sequence). From the birth of the Corleon Family to the death of the inherited son and to the passing on to the nephew, the story captures the viewer and doesn't let go.

12) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - (That's right, I said trilogy again.) A epic tale ripped almost directly from the books and wonderfully done. The special affects were unmatched and the combination of so many sub plots brought this imagined reality to life. I highly recommend the extended versions.

13) Scarface - Updated from the classic film of the rise-and-fall gangster saga to modern, drug-infested Miami, 'Scarface' was well deserving of the nod. It was set during the Castro evacuation of prisons during the early 80's, in which the criminal element of Cuba was spewed into Florida. Defined for us on screen was the very definition of human violence towards his fellow man and the sheer delight men take in it.

14) Snatch - Guy Richie has a very music-video style as far as the camera angles, movements, and cinematography goes. It makes for a very unique film. This was a very fun movie full of twists, humor, and a good cast.

15) The Star Wars Saga - (That's right I said Saga.) While the later trilogy was destined to not measure up to the first trilogy, it had it's merits and for Star Wars fans, merits were enough. The entire story encapsulated the life on an individual that grows up, loses himself down a dark path, and at the end is redeemed by his son. A classic tale of good vs. evil, Star Wars is a world of it's own. It was a great story full of eye popping visuals, special effects, and drama.

 

[Billo_Really]

Originally posted by GySgt:
I interpret the rules to mean the best movies I have seen in the last ten years. I have seen all of these in the last ten years. In no order....

Door swings both ways in my world. So I guess I will critique your list...

1) Black Hawk Down - This film showed the horrible, gruesome, disorienting reality of modern combat. It also brought home the historical events with a lot of accuracy, even though most Americans were not even aware of it. What happened in Somalia was a foreign policy failure for the U.S., but 'Black Hawk Down' showed where politics end and the real world according to the "soldier" begins.

Great movie. Watched it about 5 times.

2) Lord of War - There is a lot of good history and true world events behind the portrayals in the film. I enjoyed the narrative aspect and the "hold nothing back" truth of the subject.

Never saw it.

3) Gladiator - I found this to be the most perfect movie I have ever seen. The plot was very deep and defined. The musical score was very fitting and beautiful as was the costuming. The visuals were majestic and so was the camera work. It had a wonderful cast and the acting was superb.

Very good movie. Very well done.

4) Braveheart - What's not to like? The invigorating battle scenes? The historical value? The drama? The inspirational ending? This was an epic worth seeing over and over again.

Classic. Mel's 2nd best, next to Payback.

5) Schindler's List - A masterpiece. A beautiful soundtrack. The human emotion involved with each character, whether evil or good, was rich with value. No one could ever imagine the poetry that could be attached to such a devisating time in human history. Spielberg's use of black and white filming (with a touch of red to personalize the holocaust) was masterful.

I thought you'd like the gay version of this, "Schindler's Fist".

6) Saving Private Ryan - Spielberg's re-visit to WWII does it again. This film introduced a bit of realism never before seen in Hollywood. The camera work was superb and the sound editing was beyond reproach. The opening twenty minute scene when the Army was hitting the beach surrounded by chaos set the mood for the film.

Another classic. I was not into this when I first heard about it. I grew up on Combat (with Vic Morrow) and the last thing I wanted to see was another army flick. But Spielberg pulled it off. I've watched this one about 5 also.

7) Fight Club - The viewer is left to interpret what he's seen, which is appropriate since the film condemns falling victim to the strictures of what society tells us to think and to value. In a narrative fashion, the story is told by capturing the mood of the character as we journey through a segment of his life while sorting out his inner monsters and breaks from society.

This one is actually in my own top ten, but I forgot to mention it this time around.

8) Apocalypse Now - The feel of the movie was disturbing, as it should have been. Unlike America's other wars, Vietnam was a beast of confusion and absent of closure. A diversity of phsycological view points were introduced. It had one of the best poetic endings of any movie I have ever seen.

It was OK. Not the movie people made it out to be. Had a couple good scenes though.

9) Heat - A bullet ridden story that was brought to life through two great actors - Deniro and Pacino. A story of two characters, one cop and one criminal, who follow the same work ethics, yet have traveled on opposite roads. Both lives are full of personal failures, however their dedication to their "jobs" is what keeps them focused. Where the two meet is classic. Deniro and Pacino facing off on screen for the very first time in a diner having a 15 minute conversation over failures and inevitable consequences, shoves this movie towards the front.

This movie was a major come-down. With billing like Pacino, De Niro and Kilmer, I was expecting a better movie. Not well done at all.

And finally.....

10) The Usual Suspects - This is a tale of pure fantasy that is produced by Kevin Spacey's character for the audience. The imagination of the viewer is what drives the events until the bottom completely falls out in the end and we realize that were just made fools of. Superb mystery and drama and a magnificent ending.

I like Kevin Spacey, but I have not seen this movie.

Did I say "fianlly?" Screw that. Anything worth doing is worth doing well....

Except when it comes to spelling. The word is "f-i-n-a-l-l-y".

11) The Godfather Trilogy - That's right, I typed trilogy. A beautifully written and produced story of a crime family that is presented to us through the goal driven and point of views of father and son (Deniro and Pacino on screen but never in the same sequence). From the birth of the Corleon Family to the death of the inherited son and to the passing on to the nephew, the story captures the viewer and doesn't let go.

First one great. Second one OK. Third one OK.

12) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - (That's right, I said trilogy again.) A epic tale ripped almost directly from the books and wonderfully done. The special affects were unmatched and the combination of so many sub plots brought this imagined reality to life. I highly recommend the extended versions.

I'd rather read the Hobbit again. Didn't see any of these. And probably won't (unless it gets me laid).

13) Scarface - Updated from the classic film of the rise-and-fall gangster saga to modern, drug-infested Miami, 'Scarface' was well deserving of the nod. It was set during the Castro evacuation of prisons during the early 80's, in which the criminal element of Cuba was spewed into Florida. Defined for us on screen was the very definition of human violence towards his fellow man and the sheer delight men take in it.

Awesome!

14) Snatch - Guy Richie has a very music-video style as far as the camera angles, movements, and cinematography goes. It makes for a very unique film. This was a very fun movie full of twists, humor, and a good cast.

More awesome! Watched this one about 10 times.

15) The Star Wars Saga - (That's right I said Saga.) While the later trilogy was destined to not measure up to the first trilogy, it had it's merits and for Star Wars fans, merits were enough. The entire story encapsulated the life on an individual that grows up, loses himself down a dark path, and at the end is redeemed by his son. A classic tale of good vs. evil, Star Wars is a world of it's own. It was a great story full of eye popping visuals, special effects, and drama.

First time I saw the original it was good. Got boring very quickly after that with all the commercialism it generated. Alien was better.

 

[Billo_Really]

Originally posted by akyron:
The Long Kiss Goodnight (Witty sleeper flick)

You nailed with this one. I didn't expect this to be so good when I saw it. Borders on a "chick flick" though.

 

[teacher]

1) Black Hawk Down - This film showed the horrible, gruesome, disorienting reality of modern combat. It also brought home the historical events with a lot of accuracy, even though most Americans were not even aware of it. What happened in Somalia was a foreign policy failure for the U.S., but 'Black Hawk Down' showed where politics end and the real world according to the "soldier" begins.

I know one of the Rangers that was in on that gig. He says it is spot on.

 

[George_Washington]

:shocked2: Wow, Billo. I must admit, your list really sucks.

How does it suck? Billo has some good films in there like Snatch, Payback, Zoolander, and Titanic was good too, of course. I don't know how you can really say someone's film list sucks. If everybody liked the same movies, think how boring the world would be.

 

[George_Washington]

I like Payback because Mel wasn't a good guy in the movie. It's a classic.

"Hey Val, got my money!"

Porter: "How much is this guy Carter worth to you?"
Mr. Bronson: "What do mean?"
Porter: "Well, you either give me my money, or I'll kill Carter."
Mr. Bronson: "Are you threatening me?"
Porter: "I'm not threatening you, I'm threatening Carter!"

Mel Gibson played SUCH a bad *** character in that movie, just as bad as practically anyone else in film history I think. That was so awesome when he hit that big black dude over the head and made it look so easy.

Or Snatch:

"Whatever you do, do not knock him out!"

Yeah, there were so many good quotes from Snatch. I loved Brad Pitt's character, how he knocked that big guy out with one punch.

 

[MSgt]

I know one of the Rangers that was in on that gig. He says it is spot on.

I was a part of the 24th Meu. In the beginning of the film, it is written that the last of the Marine units had just left. The 24th Meu was one of those units. We had gone up to Saudi to train and had to come back to cover the retrograde. This wasn't the first time we had to do that. Earlier, we had left Somalia and went to Bahrain and had to hastily retrograde back to our ships to go back to Somalia, because the Pakistanis (their own fault) got ambushed.

The visuals in "Black Hawk Down" were extremely accurate. The first time I saw it in the theater, I felt anger.

 

[MSgt]

How does it suck? Billo has some good films in there like Snatch, Payback, Zoolander, and Titanic was good too, of course. I don't know how you can really say someone's film list sucks. If everybody liked the same movies, think how boring the world would be.

1) Because I wouldn't put such simplistic films as a top ten contender

and

2) Because it's Billo's list.

(It's actually more just about number two.)

 

[MSgt]

Door swings both ways in my world. So I guess I will critique your list...

I don't swing both ways. That's just gay.

Great movie. Watched it about 5 times.

How can you watch it "about" five times? Either you watched it 5 times or you didn't.

I thought you'd like the gay version of this, "Schindler's Fist".

Never heard of it. But then again, I'm not quite the porno connoisseur you are. I can get the ladies.

Another classic. I was not into this when I first heard about it. I grew up on Combat (with Vic Morrow) and the last thing I wanted to see was another army flick. But Spielberg pulled it off. I've watched this one about 5 also.

Again with the "about?" Billo...Billo...Billo

Except when it comes to spelling. The word is "f-i-n-a-l-l-y".

Ah, yes. The classic "got nothing smart to say, therefore I'll look for a mispelling" tactic. How t-r-i-t-e.

I'd rather read the Hobbit again. Didn't see any of these. And probably won't (unless it gets me laid).

Good luck with that. Perhaps less focus on porno might help you too. Perhaps a little less "swinging both ways" would be helpful too.

More awesome! Watched this one about 10 times.

Again? This is getting old. I went to the store and bought a soda today "about" one time.





Man, that was fun.

 

[Hoot]

I'm really curious how so many people think Star Wars was a great film?

Sure, Harrison Ford was good, and the special effects were awesome, but I walked out of the theatre thinking..."This is it? This is what all the hub-bub is about?"

I've read better comic books, and I was a film student in college, so I've studied the masters, and Star Wars would not even make my Top 100.

 

[MSgt]

I'm really curious how so many people think Star Wars was a great film?

Sure, Harrison Ford was good, and the special effects were awesome, but I walked out of the theatre thinking..."This is it? This is what all the hub-bub is about?"

I've read better comic books, and I was a film student in college, so I've studied the masters, and Star Wars would not even make my Top 100.

You walked out of the theater?

Maybe you should rethink what you consider great films, considering pretty much the entire film industry holds a different opinion. (Imagination might help too.) It is widely known that "Star Wars" was innovative and the like was never seen before. It also opened doors for future Science Fiction films, where before, the Sci-Fi genre was defined as low budget, boring, and rediculous.

There is more to what makes "Star Wars" a great film besides what was seen on screen.

 

[mixedmedia]

I'm really curious how so many people think Star Wars was a great film?

Sure, Harrison Ford was good, and the special effects were awesome, but I walked out of the theatre thinking..."This is it? This is what all the hub-bub is about?"

I've read better comic books, and I was a film student in college, so I've studied the masters, and Star Wars would not even make my Top 100.

Well, I was about 10 or 11 when Star Wars came out so for me it was nearly life-altering, lol. But I know what you're saying. It is not a great film, per se, and George Lucas is a very flawed director - he gets rather wooden performances out of his actors, as I'm sure everyone would agree. But Star Wars is more a phenomena than great cinema. Both serve a purpose, though. IMHO, The Empire Strikes Back was a much better film than Star Wars. Return of the Jedi and every other Star Wars film since then has been a disappointment to me, personally.

 

[MSgt]

Well, I was about 10 or 11 when Star Wars came out so for me it was nearly life-altering, lol. But I know what you're saying. It is not a great film, per se, and George Lucas is a very flawed director - he gets rather wooden performances out of his actors, as I'm sure everyone would agree. But Star Wars is more a phenomena than great cinema. Both serve a purpose, though. IMHO, The Empire Strikes Back was a much better film than Star Wars. Return of the Jedi and every other Star Wars film since then has been a disappointment to me, personally.

"The Empire Strikes Back" was by far the best. I place Return of the Sith underneath it.

But yes, wooden performances.

 

[Hoot]

"The Empire Strikes Back" was by far the best. I place Return of the Sith underneath it.

But yes, wooden performances.

I agree with both your assessments, and no, I did not walk out on the film, but let's face it..."Star Wars" didn't even have an ending! ? LOL

Re: the wooden acting...I suppose since much of the film was special effects laden, many of the actors were forced ( for probably the 1st time?) to work against the "blue" screen instead of being able to react to visuals.

The whole story line was confusing..and the 'ol good versus evil has been done to much better effect in other films.

I have more understanding for Trekkies then I do for those that worship Star Wars as a religion. In fact, I enjoyed the Star Wars ride at DisneyWorld more then I ever enjoyed the film.

Alien, Jaws, Superman, Indiana Jones series, Terminator, even Blair Witch were much better works of art...IMHO.

 

[George_Washington]

I'm really curious how so many people think Star Wars was a great film?

Sure, Harrison Ford was good, and the special effects were awesome, but I walked out of the theatre thinking..."This is it? This is what all the hub-bub is about?"

I've read better comic books, and I was a film student in college, so I've studied the masters, and Star Wars would not even make my Top 100.

I like the old Star Wars (the original 3 films aka the Trilogy) a lot but I can't stand the new movies. I just don't like the actors, the storyline, the sets, etc. It just seems like an overload of special effects...and nothing else. I have no desire to buy any of those films on DVD.

 

[Billo_Really]

Originally posted by GySgt:
I don't swing both ways. That's just gay.

How can you watch it "about" five times? Either you watched it 5 times or you didn't.

Never heard of it. But then again, I'm not quite the porno connoisseur you are. I can get the ladies.

Again with the "about?" Billo...Billo...Billo

Ah, yes. The classic "got nothing smart to say, therefore I'll look for a mispelling" tactic. How t-r-i-t-e.

Good luck with that. Perhaps less focus on porno might help you too. Perhaps a little less "swinging both ways" would be helpful too.

Again? This is getting old. I went to the store and bought a soda today "about" one time.

Man, that was fun.

So much for being "eloquent".

 

[cherokee]

Well I did like 4,5,6 the best but I also like 1,2,3.


Hey Gunny and Billo you guys want to borrow a couple of swords?.....:duel
:2rofll:

 

[akyron]

You nailed with this one. I didn't expect this to be so good when I saw it. Borders on a "chick flick" though.

I guess so if chicks like movies where the lead character slaughters about 300 bad guys.


Charlie: "You couldn't hit a lake if you were standing on the bottom."


She killed some guys while wearing ice skates once...girls like skates perhaps?

 

[teacher]

Man, that was fun.

The contagion spreads.

 

[LaMidRighter]

In no particular order:
Kill Bill
Kill Bill 2
Ringu(The Ring was the American Remake)
Once Upon A Time In Mexico
Shrek 2
The Incredibles
The Locker(Japanese Horror movie, creepy as hell)
The Locker 2
Spider Man 2
We Were Soldiers.

 

[Sir_Alec]

In no particular order:
Kill Bill
Kill Bill 2
Ringu(The Ring was the American Remake)
Once Upon A Time In Mexico
Shrek 2
The Incredibles
The Locker(Japanese Horror movie, creepy as hell)
The Locker 2
Spider Man 2
We Were Soldiers.

We Were Soldiers is a travesty falling into the same category as Pearl Harbor. I put it on my list for movies that are disrespectful to veterans.

 

[MSgt]

Well I did like 4,5,6 the best but I also like 1,2,3.


Hey Gunny and Billo you guys want to borrow a couple of swords?.....:duel
:2rofll:

No...he'd only fall on it.

 

[MSgt]

So much for being "eloquent".

One can't be the superior all of the time. Sometimes, it is healthy to stoop to a Billo-fied level.