I am a film nerd, a movie geek. I have seen thousands of movies. I own a massive DVD library. I listen to commentary tracks, follow box office receipts and could point out Harry Knowles in a crowd. Somewhere, tucked away in the recesses of my brain and the depths of my heart, rests a introspective and revealing blog about my unabashed love and passion for cinema. I hope to have the courage and initiative to write it all down. But as of yet, it remains hidden.
I am 33 years old. I was born in 1977 and I have been watching movies for 5 different decades now. I will admit I have seen very few movies made before the late 1960s. To tell the truth, I have little interest in what came before. I just now realized that the same could be said about my taste in music. I know, in both art forms, how many treasures, both well known and hidden, await to reward my research. I just can't bring myself to stop re-watching "The Wild Bunch" or listening to "Sandinista." Frank Sinatra and Orson Welles will simply have to wait. But I digress. The very simple purpose of this blog is a list. Well, four lists to be exact. I will throw my two cents in and claim the greatest films of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and the 2000s. I know this is only four decades but we are a mere 18 months into my fifth decade as a film goer and even I am not that pretentious to start a "Best Of' list this early on.
A couple of points before we get to it. I have seen every film on these lists. In fact, I have seen most of them several, if not dozens of times. I don't claim that they are my favorite movies. I am stating that they are the best made films of their respective decade. Some of you must be asking yourselves, "What is his criteria?" My criteria is simply this; I have great taste in film, I know what I like and have deep faith in my ability to spot important cinema. Claims like these are most certainly arrogant and obnoxious but I have put in countless hours into the study and appreciation of this art form. And given the chance (or the inclination to drone on even further), I could make a case for any one of these films. Finally, I list them in alphabetical order as even I could not rank them 1 to 10.
1970 - 1979
Apocalypse Now
Chinatown
A Clockwork Orange
The Exorcist
The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
Jaws
Manhattan
M.A.S.H.
Taxi Driver
Honorable Mentions
Alien
The French Connection
The Sting
1980 - 1989
Blade Runner
Blue Velvet
Bull Durham
Die Hard
Do the Right Thing
Raging Bull
Raiders of the Lost Ark
This is Spinal Tap
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Witness
Honorable Mentions
Back to the Future
Dangerous Liaisons
The Shining
1990 - 1999
Boogie Nights
Election
Fargo
Goodfellas
Heat
JFK
Se7en
Silence of the Lambs
The Thin Red Line
Unforgiven
Honorable Mentions
The Big Lebowski
The Matrix
Rushmore
2000 - 2009
25th Hour
Black Hawk Down
Children of Men
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Kill Bill Volume 1 / Kill Bill Volume 2
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Lost in Translation
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Zodiac
Honorable Mentions
Almost Famous
Apocalypto
The Incredibles
*I view Kill Bill and The Lord of The Rings to each be one single movie, simply broken into multiple chapters. Some may call this bullshit but it's my list and my blog so I make the rules.
What would a geeky film blog be without a few factoids?
Q: Which director has the most films on the lists (including honorable mentions)?
A: It's a 4-way tie! The Coen Brothers, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott each have 3 films on the lists.
Q: Which actor has the most movies on the list (including honorable mentions)?
A: Robert DeNiro has 5 films on the lists, followed by Harrison Ford with four.
Q: Who many of these films won the Oscar for Best Picture (including honorable mentions)?
A: In total, 8 films won the Best Picture Oscar. The breakdown is as follows; 4 from the 1970s, 0 from the 1980s, 2 from the 1990s and 2 from the 2000s.
There it is. That's my list. If you take anything from this list, Iwould hope you visit the films you are unfamiliar with. They may not be amongst your favorite movies. But I would be highly surprised if you were to take nothing from them. Until next time, the balcony is closed.
