The PG Cooper List Thread: Gamer Days

I really liked The Witch...I just can't say I loved it.  I'm all for horror movies that do their own thing and ignore a lot of the tropes, but I guess I didn't get as much thematically out of it as you did.  Plus, the language of the period kinda got in the way for me in a few places.

Excellent #1 pick.

Read daniel 's review. It explains why you're wrong.

So, I made a top 100 best/favourite films list this weekend. I'm not really sure why. I certainly have other shit I could be doing. But whatever; lists are fun, and it could be fun to share said list over the next few weeks here. A few notes

- I didn't consider any movies from 2010 on. 2010 is the year I started writing reviews for new releases and as such it feels pretty distinct to me from everything prior.

- I consider this both a "best" list and a favourites one. Everything I've ranked here I truly think is amazing, but I can't separate my own subjectivity from the process. Nor would I want to.

- I didn't put as much work into this as Dracula did when he made a Top 100. I had a fairly thorough ranking system, but I just did it over a weekend and also didn't really bother rewatching anything to verify my position on it. Similarly, my write-ups won't be nearly as detailed. I'm just too lazy, and I've got a fifth Bloodborne playthrough to work through.

- I think I'll post my choices in chunks of three, though that might change moving forward...


"PG Cooper's Top 100 Greatest Films of All-Time"


100. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)



The first entry in any list is always the toughest choice, especially when there are dozens of contenders. Should I go with a turning point in American film like The Graduate, a foreign art-house classic like Ugetsu, or something unique yet broad in its appeal like My Neighbour Totoro? These films, and many, many others, were all considered for the first spot, but I ultimately gave the edge to Canada's greatest auteur. What sealed the deal for David Cronenberg's A History of Violence is the way the film's depictions of violence are truly gruesome and genuinely upsetting, but also viscerally exciting and very fun to watch. It's a film that, better than any other, captures our contradictory relationship to violence as something we relish and are repelled by.


99. The Red Shoes (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1948)



Arguably Powell and Pressburger's most acclaimed work, The Red Shoes is a dazzling masterpiece of Technicolor cinematography. Its rich visual splendor, however, masks a much darker tale of obsession and the cost of success. It's a film which can be appreciated for its gripping themes and feminist subtext, but also for the serene beauty with which it tells its story, culminating on an amazing final ballet sequence.


98. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominick, 2007)



All Westerns are, on some level, about myths, and one of the best explorations of the Western myth is Andrew Dominick's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. The film is about the myth of Jesse James, and while early scenes might suggest Dominick is too enamored with the legendary gunslinger, the unfolding tale proceeds to dismantle that legacy. Part of what makes the film so special is Roger Deakins' cinematography. Where most revisionist Westerns take on a harsh and gritty look, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is bathed in gorgeous natural light and complimented by a moving score from Nick Cave. The film in turn is critical of Western myth making while simultaneously depicting its appeal and effect. On a simpler level, it's also a moving tragedy about how Robert Ford (the film's true protagonist) became a pariah and coward despite being no worse then the man he assassinated.

Ooh, this should be fun. Three good choices to start with. Red shoes is obviously a masterpiece and the other two are certainly modern classics.

97. The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971)



The French Connection is one of the most emblematic texts of 1970s Hollywood cinema. The look is gritty and uncompromising, the characters are hardened and feel real, the dialogue blunt and non-stylized, and the whole thing is wrapped up in a very entertaining package. Friedkin so effectively crafts an engrossing detective story that the viewer doesn't fully grasp the depths of Popeye Doyle's obsession until the film's final minutes, where it suddenly becomes clear, and calls for a reconsideration of the entire film. And of course, there's the film's famous car chase, which is one of the best set-pieces in film history.


96. The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984)



For most of my life, I've been pretty firmly on team "Terminator 2 is the better Terminator film". Cameron's sequel has much bigger action, ground-breaking visual effects, and was also very important to my childhood and teenage years. But as I get older, I have to slowly concede that Cameron's first film (killer fish movies not withstanding) is the greater accomplishment. Part of this is the film's "little movie that could" aspect. Simply put, it is staggering what James Cameron accomplished as a first time filmmaker working with very few resources. T2 also has a handful of cringy elements that its leaner, meaner predecessor lacks. But what really locked The Terminator's spot in this list is that the film is an amazing example of how ambition and care can really elevate a project. Break the elements of The Terminator down and you have a very schlocky B-movie about a killer robot who uses the phonebook to hunt down his victims. That premise honestly shouldn't work so well, but Cameron, the cast, and crew are able to make something a lot more grand through sheer craft and commitment.


95. From Russia with Love (Terrence Young, 1963)



A handful of my choices are probably a little eyebrow raising, and I'm guessing From Russia with Love will be among the most so. Even fans of the James Bond series usually concede that its the legacy of the whole rather than any individual entry worthy of praise. I don't entirely disagree, but I do think a small handful of films manage to rise above the series average, and for my money, From Russia with Love is easily the best entry in the series. Combining the comic-book style world of 007 with a (relatively) more grounded cold-war thriller, the filmmakers deliver a Hitchcockain style adventure film, populated with a wonderful cast of dubious villains and punctuated by a series of increasingly escalating set-pieces. The film perfectly balances its camp elements with genuine suspense, resulting in near-perfect, unpretentious escapism.

*Checks your list

Ha. Neat.

Hmm, probably a good spot for bond. I personally don't think I'd have a bond in my 100.

I'd have JBond in my top 100 internet personalities.

94. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron, 2006)



Children of Men was certainly prescient back in 2006, but it feels more timely than ever now. We're currently nine years away from when Children of Men is set, but the rising tide of xenophobia, waves of refugees, mass detention centers, and sense of despair that Alfonso Cuaron depicted so skillfully in 2006 have become more pronounced in the modern political landscape. I don't doubt that Children of Men will come to be remembered as among the most prophetic science-fiction films of all-time and it's ability to tap into the zeitgeist so fiercely is a big part of why it's here. Bleak though its future may be, Cuaron does present enough rays of hope to suggest we may yet be able to overcome, and the filmmaking to bring such a vision to life is truly astounding.


93. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)



It's almost boring to love The Exorcist at this point. Pretty well everyone agrees that this is a horror masterpiece, one with amazing set-pieces, well-defined characters, top-notch acting, and atmosphere so thick you can taste it. There really isn't a missed beat or lackluster element to be found, and the film is also very observant of smaller character details and motivations that make rewatches really rewarding. What really keeps me coming back though is the simple fear The Exorcist preys on so masterfully; the fear that your child is suffering, and you can't help them.


92. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)



It's been a long road for Terrence Malick and I. The technical value of Malick's work has always been abundantly clear to me, but it's only in the last few years that his films have really started to speak to me. My opinions on what Malick's masterpice is may still shift as time goes by, but for now, I'm comfortable placing that honour on Days of Heaven. On an analytical level, one could certainly see the film as a eulogy for a more innocent time gone past, but this isn't strictly a nostalgic look back. There's plenty of focus on how the petty schemes of the people are ultimately squandering the paradise they've inherited and it isn't hard to extrapolate a larger message about humanity's place on earth. Of course, over-analyzing Malick is one of the key reasons a lot of folks tend to not enjoy his work. Make no mistake, Days of Heaven is also a beautifully observed work which tells a moving, sad little story with elegance. The cinematography is indeed worthy of its legacy, while Ennio Morricone's score is one of the best beautiful pieces of music ever composed for film.

The New World is the only Malick film I haven't seen. Tree of Life wasn't considered for this list, being from 2011, but I do owe that movie a revisit. It was the first Malick film I saw and by extension the one I've gone the longest without watching.

Doomsday waiting to comment:

I really like City of God.  Naven't seen Nosferatu, but personally doubt i'd have a silent film in my 100.