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Peter Rinaldi Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) My Friend Ivan Lapshin (Aleksei German, 1984) Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1969) 8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963) Ordet (Carl Th. Dreyer, 1955) Love Steams (John Cassavetes, 1984) 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968) It's a wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946) Singin' in the Rain (Stanley Donan/Gene Kelly, 1952) City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931) this is certainly not a list of my favorites. but simply what i think are the top ten exceptional cinematic achievements (for various reasons). like everything, it will change. Top 5 Directors: John Cassavetes Orson Welles Andrei Tarkovsky Jean-Luc Godard Michelangelo Antonioni after this the flood gates open. Peter Rinaldi is a New York filmmaker and host of the now defunct Manhattan Cable Access cinema extravaganza "Short Fuse". When he is making films he'd rather be watching them and vice versa. tally after this list / November 28, 2005 Tyler Blach Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988) Castle in the Sky (Hayao Miyazaki, 1986) The Sword of Doom (Kihachi Okamoto, 1966) Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata, 1988) The Twilight Samurai (Yoji Yamada, 2002) The Legend of 1900 (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1998) Kwaidan (Masaki Kobayashi, 1964) Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1995) Under the Flag of the Rising Sun (Kinji Fukasaku, 1972) I must mention that I feel animated films can be just as great as live action films if done well enough. Top 10 Directors: Akira Kurosawa Hayao Miyazaki Giuseppe Tornatore Kinji Fukasaku Masaki Kobayashi Ingmar Bergman Jim Jarmusch Sergio Leone Kihachi Okamoto Stanley Kubrick Tyler Blach is an aspiring filmmaker and a High School student whose love for cinema keeps him relitivly sane. tally after this list / November 27, 2005 Phil Concannon Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980) A searing masterwork which will leave the viewer as shaken as one of Jake La Motta's opponents. Robert De Niro's performance in the central role is justifiably celebrated but this is really Scorsese's film. Raging Bull is the result of a great director throwing everything he's got at the film, all his passion, energy and technique, and the result is mesmerising to watch. Three Colours Red (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994) The third in Kieslowski's stunning Three Colours trilogy, Red is simply the best film among equals. In telling the tale of a hesitant, transforming friendship between a young model and a cranky old judge; Kieslowski delivers a haunting and beautiful meditation on love, companionship and destiny. It's a flawless film which reluctantly reveals more of its fascinating mysteries with each viewing. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928) Has there ever been a screen display to match Maria Falconetti's devastating performance in Dreyer's masterpiece? There hasn't been and there probably never will be again. This is a truly unique film which focuses its attention on the last days of Joan of Arc as she endures the endless abuse and interrogation during her trial for heresy. Dreyer shoots the film almost entirely in close-up and Falconetti's incredibly expressive face portrays Joan's fear, pain, confusion and faith. A heartbreaking and transcendent film which is almost unbearably moving. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979) Given everything that occurred behind the scenes of Apocalypse Now, it's astonishing that Coppola managed to produce anything even remotely coherent. In fact, he produced an utterly singular masterpiece which takes an almost operatic approach to depict an insane war. Apocalypse Now is a drug-fuelled, self-indulgent, daring piece of work which is so filled with ambition it almost collapses under its own weight; but it remains totally compelling throughout. The ultimate apotheosis of 70's film-making. Black Narcissus (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1947) Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger stand taller than anyone in the history of British cinema and Black Narcissus is their finest hour, a breathtakingly imaginative, daring, compelling and shocking film. In telling the story of a group of nuns who are tormented by their memories and desires while establishing an order high in the Himalayan mountains, Powell and Pressburger's film is one of the most extraordinary and erotic films ever produced in these isles. Deborah Kerr's understated performance gives the film a solid centre but Kathleen Byron steals the film with a stunning turn as the hysterical Sister Ruth, leading to a climax that still sends shivers down the spine today. The General (Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman, 1926) Chock-full of breathtaking stunts and priceless sight gags, Keaton's film is a perfectly formed gem. As he chases the eponymous train Keaton follows one moment of hilarious ingenuity with another and reacts to everything with that same deadpan look of bemusement. A remarkable feat of direction and comic timing which has the audience amazed and in hysterics throughout. Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953) When an elderly couple visit their grown-up children in the city, they are neglected when they don't fit into their offspring's busy lifestyle. Ozu's film is calm, slow and contemplative and he simply lets the deceptively simple action occur in front of his still camera in order to reveal the most basic truths of humanity. A delightfully moving tale which explores family relations with peerless sensitivity and insight; it's as relevant now as it was then and it will continue to be for generations to come. Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968) The greatest Western of them all. Epic in scope, Leone makes a horse opera which is truly operatic. Charles Bronson was never better than he is here, the beautiful Claudia Cardinale is a memorably feisty heroine, Jason Robards' sly turn is a treat, and the decision to have blue-eyed American hero Henry Fonda play against type created one of cinema’s greatest villains. It's all topped off by Ennio Morricone's incredible score and Leone's awe-inspiring direction. See it on the biggest screen you can find - this is what cinema is all about. M (Fritz Lang, 1931) Lang's stark study of child-killer Hans Beckert is sinister and unsettling masterpiece. Beckert stalks the streets in search of his victims - with a jaunty whistle his unforgettable calling card - but when his crimes result in more police on the beat, the criminal fraternity joins the cops in hunting him down. Peter Lorre gives an extraordinary performance as a killer who is little more than a child himself and is incapable of controlling the urges which he knows are reprehensible. M is for murder, and in the case of this classic, it's also for masterpiece. La Belle et La Bete (Jean Cocteau, 1946) A gorgeous fairytale which exploit's the fantastical magic of cinema like few other films. Cocteau asks us to leave behind our adult cynicism and revert to a childlike state to fully surrender to this tale, and his film is so spellbinding that we do so without hesitation. As the Beast, Jean Marais gives a performance full of humanity and sadness, and Josette Day is his equal as his beloved Beauty. Cocteau's imagination is seemingly endless and the film is full of sequences which have been replicated on many occasions but never with the kind of luminous beauty evident here. Top 10 Directors: Martin Scorsese Krzysztof Kieslowski Michael Powell Sergio Leone Fritz Lang Robert Altman David Lean Alfred Hitchcock Billy Wilder Stanley Kubrick Phil Concannon is a film enthusiast and amateur reviewer. tally after this list / November 25, 2005 Michael B. Smith L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960) Close-up (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990) Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949) Cleo from 5 to 7 (Agnes Varda, 1961) The Bicycle Thief (Vitorrio De Sica, 1948) To Live (Zhang Yimou, 1994) Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955) Gold Diggers of 1933 (Mervyn LeRoy, 1933) Might have made the list on another day of the week: Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953) 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968) Rear Window (Hitchcock, 1954) (I am also conscious of the fact that these are all 'Talkies'… sue me, there are only ten slots and I used one of them with a musical!) Top 10 Directors: Akira Kurosawa Jacques Tati Alfred Hitchcock Krzysztof Kieslowski The Trois Couleurs Trilogy would have been in the films list, but would have taken three spots; the Decalogue would have been there as well, except... Orson Welles Zhang Yimou Abbas Kiarostami Ingmar Bergman Woody Allen Federico Fellini Might have made the list on another day of the week: Stanley Kubrick Robert Bresson Yasujiro Ozu Michael B. Smith recently completed an MA in Film Studies at the University of East Anglia, UK, and now "I mostly just sit around making 'Top Ten Lists.'" tally after this list / November 25, 2005 Josh Dean A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971) The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) Sleuth (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1972) Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964) Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980) The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969) Schindler's List (Steven Spielberg, 1993) The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer, 1962) Ed Wood (Tim Burton, 1994) Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962) Top 10 Directors: Stanley Kubrick Alfred Hitchcock Woody Allen Martin Scorsese Joel & Ethan Coen David Lynch Francis Ford Coppola Werner Herzog Sam Peckinpah John Huston Josh Dean is a film student at Southern Illinois University. tally after this list / November 25, 2005 Larry Button Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953) The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1965) Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1972) The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Th. Dreyer, 1928) Fanny & Alexander (Ingmar Bergman, 1982) The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Lotte Reiniger, 1926) Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) Children of Paradise (Marcel Carné, 1945) Pater Panchali (Satyajit Ray, 1955) Le Samourai (John-Pierre Melville, 1967) Larry Button is a "fifty-something" communications instructor at a technical institute in Saskatchewan, Canada. tally after this list / November 23, 2005 Mathieu Laporte Pierrot le fou (Jean-Luc Godard, 1965) The Rules of The Game (Jean Renoir, 1939) The Mirror (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1975) Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966) Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967) A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974) The Trial (Orson Welles, 1962) Stroszek (Werner Herzog, 1977) Naked (Mike Leigh, 1993) Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984) Top 10 Directors: Jean-Luc Godard Jean Renoir Francois Truffaut Robert Bresson Andrei Tarkovsky Ingmar Bergman John Cassavetes Carl Theodor Dreyer Luis Buñuel Orson Welles Mathieu Laporte is a film student from Montreal, Canada. tally after this list / November 22, 2005 Steve Clark Rules of the Game (Jean Renoir, 1939) L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960) Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966) The Return (Andrei Zvyagintsev, 2003) 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968) Wages of Fear (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953) Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) Pather Panchali (Satyajit Ray, 1955) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2000) Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg, 1998) Top 6 Directors: Kubrick is my favorite… more than that… but I can’t say he was the best. I have limited knowledge however. Though I have omitted a lot of names that I’m supposed to put on here, there are endless people whose work I’m not even very familiar with. Jean Renoir Michelangelo Antonioni Ingmar Bergman Yasujiro Ozu Stanley Kubrick Orson Welles I don’t know enuff about some very prominent directors so I’m cutting the list off there. Other top films: VERTIGO. Hitch was nuts. PSYCHO. Hitch hated chicks. HAPPINESS. Better than most films on this “Other” list. CUJO. B movie that is as dumb and relentless and frightening as that damn rabid dog. TOKYO STORY I’M GOING HOME (Manoel de Oliveira) MASCULIN/FEMININ. I don’t “get” Godard but this one is sexy and interesting. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL. The “Wizard of Oz” of the latter half of the 20th century. THE WIZARD OF OZ JAWS FAR FROM HEAVEN Y TU MAMA, TAMBIEN CHINATOWN ALIEN. Standard horror movie elevates itself to greatness in its pornographic last scene, which lays the sexual cards on the table. It’s either terribly cheesy or awesomely perverse. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS ALIENS 5 EASY PIECES THE EXORCIST THE RETURN OF THE KING RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK APARAJITO BADLANDS DAZED AND CONFUSED FULL METAL JACKET. Smartest war movie I know of. THE SHINING. NOT the TV movie version. HEAVENLY CREATURE RAIN MAN LA NOTTE OUT OF SIGHT MINORITY REPORT THE PLAYER PEEPING TOM THE PIANO TEACHER SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (Ang Lee) 13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT 1 THING FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. My God, how I didn’t want to see this one, but good lord was it better than any other sports movie ever made. GROUNDHOG DAY BOYS DON’T CRY BARRY LYNDON DR. STRANGELOVE AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS REPULSION ROSEMARY’S BABY PATHS OF GLORY DAYS OF HEAVEN MOVIES THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO DRIVE YOUR CAR INTO A TREE: SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND starring Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees. A musical extravaganza of suck. GIGLI. What the hell were they thinking? FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY. The horror. BE COOL. Ugh. Steve Clark is a 35 year old technical writer from Amherst, MA. tally after this list / November 22, 2005 Thomas Warren The Sacrifice (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1986) Sátántangó (Béla Tarr, 1994) Au hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966) Woman In The Dunes (Hiroshi Testigahara, 1964) Through A Glass Darkly (Ingmar Bergman, 1961) L'eclisse (Michelanglo Antonioni, 1962) Berln Alexanderplatz (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1980) Life Of Oharu (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1952) Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1995) Weekend (Jean-Luc Godard, 1967) Top 5 Directors: Andrei Tarkovsky Robert Bresson Kenji Mizoguchi Ingmar Bergman Michelanglo Antonioni tally after this list / November 22, 2005 James Callahan Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975) Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953) Au hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966) Chimes at Midnight (Orson Welles, 1965) Ran (Akira Kurosawa, 1985) The Last Temptation of Christ (Martin Scorsese, 1988) L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960) M (Fritz Lang, 1931) Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966) A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001) Top 10 Directors (in alphabetical order): Woody Allen Robert Altman Luis Bunuel Federico Fellini Jean-Luc Godard Werner Herzog Alfred Hitchcock Wong Kar-wai Krzysztof Kieslowski David Lynch James Callahan is a film major from Southern Califronia who writes freelance film commentary and is an avid moviegoer/watcher. He also has written movie reviews for the Orange Country Register during his senior year of high school. He is twenty years old. tally after this list / November 21, 2005 Alex Vo Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998) Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967) The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994) Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979) Mon Oncle (Jacques Tati, 1958) Stolen Kisses (Francois Truffaut, 1968) Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933) Bed & Board (Francois Truffaut, 1970) The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960) Dumb & Dumber (Farrelly Brothers , 1994) Top 10 Directors (in no particular order): Wes Anderson Steven Spielberg Woody Allen Jacques Tati Peter Weir Francois Truffaut Alfred Hitchcock Andrei Tarkovsky Hayao Miyazaki Buster Keaton Alex Vo is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to popmatters.com and got-next.com. tally after this list / November 21, 2005 Ellis Wright Au hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966) Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1969) Ordet (Carl Th. Dreyer, 1955) Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953) 8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963) Ugetsu monogatari (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953) Winter Light (Ingmar Bergman, 1963) Lola (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1981) Werckmeister Harmonies (Bela Tarr, 2000) Gates of Heaven (Errol Morris, 1980) Top 10 Directors: Robert Bresson Yasujiro Ozu Andrei Tarkovsky Carl Th. Dreyer Rainer Werner Fassbinder Kenji Mizoguchi Federico Fellini Ingmar Bergman John Cassavetes Werner Herzog tally after this list / November 21, 2005 Angelo Colombus Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) 8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963) 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968) Shadows Of Our Forgotten Ancestors (Sergei Parajanov, 1964) Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman, 1957) Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942) Garden of the Finzi Continis (Vitorrio De Sica, 1970) The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) The Rules of the Game (Jean Renoir, 1939) Top 10 Directors: Orson Welles Federico Fellini Ingmar Bergman Francois Truffaut Akira Kurosawa Stanley Kubrick David Lean John Ford Martin Scorsese Werner Herzog My name is Angelo Colombus and i live in Lindenhurst, Illinois USA. I have over 1000 films on video, laserdisc, and dvd. tally after this list / November 21, 2005 Louis Falcetti A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971) Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958) Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1996) My Own Private Idaho (Gus Van Sant, 1991) Short Cuts (Robert Altman, 1993) Ichi The Killer (Takashi Miike, 2001) They Live (John Carpenter, 1988) Miller's Crossing (Joel Coen, 1990) Top 10 Directors: Stanley Kubrick Martin Scorsese Orson Welles Alfred Hitchcock Takashi Miike Robert Altman David Cronenberg John Carpenter Jim Jarmusch The Coen Brothers Louis Falcetti is a 23 year old dvd rental clerk out of Amherst, Massachusetts. tally after this list / November 20, 2005 Samuel Libine Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999) Phantom of the Paradise (Brian De Palma, 1974) Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975) 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968) Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg, 1988) Beau Travail (Claire Denis, 1998) Citizen Kane (Orson Wells, 1941) Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse (Fritz Lang, 1933) The Red Shoes (Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger, 1948) The Limey (Steven Soderbergh, 1999) accessit: The Lord of the Ring Trilogy, extended version (Peter Jackson, 2001-2003) Top 10 Directors: Stanley Kubrick Michael Mann David Lynch Martin Scorsese Oliver Stone Leni Riefenstahl Paul Verhoeven Brian De Palma David Cronenberg Kinji Fukasaku Should be added: Tarkovsky (Solaris, Stalker), Masaki Kobayashi (Seppuku), Quentin Tarantino, Dario Argento (Suspiria), Park Chan-wook, Jules Dassin (Du Rififi chez les Hommes, Thieves' Highway), Jean-Pierre Melville (Le Cercle Rouge), Jean-Luc Godard (Le Mépris), Georges Franju (Les Yeux sans Visage, Le Sang des Bêtes), Francis-Ford Coppola (One from the Heart, Apocalypse Now redux, The Godfather trilogy, Bram Stoker's Dracula...), Robert Wise, Alfred Hitchcock (Rebecca, The Birds, Psycho), Albert & David Maysles (Gimme SHelter), The Hughes Brothers, Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant), Robert Aldrich, John Woo (The Killer, Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow I&II) Wes Anderson, Tsui Hark (Time & Tide, The Blade, A Better Tomorrow III), Hideo Takahata (Pompoko, Grave of the Fireflies), Tony Scott, George A. Romero (Day of the Dead), Milos Forman, Kenji Misumi, Irvin Kershner (The Empire STrikes Back), Steven Spielberg (Jaws, A.I., Minority Report), James Whale (The Bride of Frankenstein), Pier Paolo Pasolini (Salo), Tod Browning (Freaks), Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko), Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy),John Carpenter, Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line), Kathryn Bigelow, Nagisaa Oshima, Sean Penn (The cRossing Guard, The Pledge), Nicholas Ray (A Rebel without a Cause)Baz Luhrmann (Romeo + Juliet), Billy Wilder (Sunset Blvd., Some like it hot), Andrew Niccol (Gattaca), John Boorman, George Miller (Mad Max I&II), Michael Cimino, Norman Jewison, Alan Parker, Danny Boyle (28 Days Later), John McTiernan, Tim Burton, Roger Avary, Steven Lisberger (Tron), The Wachowski Brothers, James Cameron, Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles), David Fincher (Fight Club), Rob Zombie, Chang Cheh (Vengeance, Golden Swallow), and all those I have forgotten... Samuel Libine, born on a Friday the 13th (1977), living near Paris, France. After five years studying litterature (James Ellroy then Michel Houellebecq, Bret Easton Ellis and J.G. Ballard) to finally obtain a useless masters degree while I worked in a video store, I became a movie critic... that was three years ago, thanks to my mom who let me watched Phantom of the Paradise, Evil Dead, Soylent Green, Rollerball, Le Prix du Danger and Carrie when I was 9 years old on our brand new VCR. tally after this list / November 19, 2005 Zach Fedell This is really a list of my favorite movies and not neccessarily what I consider the best made films of all time, this also goes the same for my favorite directors. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969) Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968) Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978) Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (Sam Peckinpah, 1974) Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977) Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman, 1971) Rififi (Jules Dassin, 1955) Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992) Top 10 Directors: Stanley Kubrick Akira Kurosawa Sam Peckinpah Francis Ford Coppola Sergio Leone Robert Altman Terrence Malick John Ford Alfred Hitchcock John Huston tally after this list / November 19, 2005 Donald Melanson 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968) Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968) Aguirre, The Wrath of God (Werner Herzog, 1972) The Wrong Man (Alfred Hitchcock, 1956) Invaders From Mars (William Cameron Menzies, 1953) Throne of Blood (Akira Kurosawa, 1957) Scarface (Howard Hawks, 1932) My Life to Live (Jean-Luc Godard, 1962) Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders, 1987) Point Blank (John Boorman, 1967) For the record, I do love Citizen Kane, Vertigo, 8 1/2, The Rules of the Game, and lots of other list mainstays that may well be “greater” than some of the movies on my list, but I don’t think they really need my help in getting recognition. And, yes, I realize 2001 doesn’t need much help either, but I just couldn’t leave it off. Top 10 Directors: Alfred Hitchcock Orson Welles Stanley Kubrick Jean-Luc Godard Buster Keaton Akira Kurosawa Federico Fellini Jean Renoir Sergio Leone Werner Herzog Donald Melanson is a freelance writer and the editor-in-chief of Mindjack, an online magazine that covers technology and culture, including film . His film writing has appeared in MovieMaker magazine and Images Film Journal, and his non-film writing has appeared in The Globe & Mail and Engadget, among other publications. tally after this list / November 19, 2005 Sykes Wilford Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) Ran (Akira Kurosawa, 1985) Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942) Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939) The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962) Gandhi (Richard Attenborough, 1982) 12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957) Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Powell/Pressburger, 1943) Top 10 Directors: Akira Kurosawa Orson Welles Stanley Kubrik John Huston Martin Scorsese David Lean Michael Powell / Emeric Pressburger Takeshi Miike Quentin Tarantino Joel/Ethan Coen It wasn't until after I put together the top ten films list that I realized that my favorite Directors and my favorite Films lists intersected pretty infrequently. There are a lot of director's whose body of work I like, but there aren't any films that make it into my top ten, or even top fifteen (For example, I think Miike is brilliant, but I can't see how Visitor Q, Audition or Dead and Alive could make even a top thirty list for me). Tarantino and the Coen brothers fall into this same category with Miike. In other cases, some of the directors that I've listed would have films that fall in my top twenty, such as John Huston's Maltese Falcon or, for that matter, his The Man Who Would Be King, a rich, beautiful, irreverent film for which I have a weakness. Sykes Wilford is the President of Laudisi Enterprises, a premium tobacco retail business based in Little River, SC, that owns and manages a retail store, Smokingpipes.com and Tobaccoreviews.com. He has published articles on the aesthetics of tobacco pipes and other utilitarian art. He considers himself a film enthusiast. tally after this list / November 19, 2005 Todd Frye Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998) A brilliant, sharp, funny, beautiful work from a young director that is just learning to use his powers. (And if Wes Anderson doesn’t disappear completely into his own anus, astro-glided in by the lubricant of self-indulgence, he’ll still be making great movies decades from now.) The Parent Trap (David Swift, 1961) Was the world ever this bright and clean and unspoiled? If your kids ever want to watch a film from the era before Disney became the ultra-greedy mega-corporation it is today, slip them this little gem. Nostalgia may be influencing this decision, but it’s my list so I make the rules. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977) A well-made film in every way imaginable, and an undeniable milestone for a couple of generations of kids. The history of popular cinema exists in two states: before May 1977, and after. Ed Wood (Tim Burton, 1994) A modern masterpiece in black and white, its heroes a collection of misfits and ne’er-do-wells. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) The greatest movie ever made, with every human emotion bound up within its frame. It’s a stupid shame that after fifty years we can’t produce something better; but then, this is a really high hurdle to jump. Anne of Green Gables (Kevin Sullivan, 1985) (This is a Canadian TV movie, but it still counts.) Was there ever a sweeter fantasy world than Avonlea on Prince Edward Island? How many of us wouldn’t drop our own imperfection-riddled ‘real’ lives to go and live in such an idyllic place? Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (Tim Burton, 1985) A kids’ movie on acid, this little fantasy careens through its world like a ritalin-soaked crime spree. Produces more quotable lines per square millimeter of film than Casablanca and Tombstone combined. I don’t make monkeys… I just train them. Enter the Dragon (Robert Clouse, 1973) The standard against which all martial arts films are measured, starring the coolest man who ever lived. Hidden Fortress (Akira Kurosawa, 1958) Packs nearly all the punch that Seven Samurai does, but does it in a more convenient package. Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962) A violent, tender, ugly, beautiful male fantasy. If you’ve never seen a movie before, this is what one is supposed to look like. Honorable Mentions (to bring us up to a lucky 13): Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959) The ultimate male-bonding film. Impossible to take completely seriously, but also impossible to click past on a Sunday afternoon. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) The film world’s Boy Genius shows everybody how it’s supposed to be done, long before even his more brilliant elders figure it out. Young people would be surprised how old-fashioned and creaky this isn’t. Casino (Martin Scorsese, 1995) A big pan pizza made up of rich, spicy toppings. Almost a guilty pleasure. Todd Frye is a pop-culturalologist living in the wilds of Tennessee. He suffers from satyriasis and enjoys ultra-violent Japanese films. His pet peeves include "revenooers" and "whipper-snappers!" Young girls can reach him at toddfrye 'at' yahoo dot com. tally after this list / November 19, 2005 Evan Husney Au hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966) Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1969) Scenes of Marriage (Ingmar Bergman, 1973) Late Spring (Yasujiro Ozu, 1949) The Circus (Charles Chaplin, 1928) La Passion de Jeanne d'arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928) 8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963) Mouchette (Robert Bresson, 1967) A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974) Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967) Top 10 Directors: Robert Bresson Andrei Tarkovsky Yasujiro Ozu Charlie Chaplin John Cassavetes Carl Theodor Dreyer Ingmar Bergman Rainer Werner Fassbinder Kenji Mizoguchi Bela Tarr Evan Husney is a student and an aspiring film maker. tally after this list / November 19, 2005 Michael Gebert The Palm Beach Story (Preston Sturges, 1943) The Godfather/The Godfather Part II (Francis Coppola, 1972/1974) A Man Escapes (Robert Bresson, 1956) It's a Gift (Norman Z. McLeod, 1934) Our Hospitality (Buster Keaton, 1923) Strangers on a Train (Alfred Hitchcock, 1951) Sansho the Bailiff (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953) The Stranger's Return (King Vidor, 1933) Only Angels Have Wings (Howard Hawks, 1939) Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990) Top 10 Directors Who Didn't Make One Single Film That Makes This List But Have a Great Body of Work Nonetheless: Luis Buñuel Max Ophuls Yasujiro Ozu Fritz Lang John Ford Luchino Visconti Michael Powell Douglas Sirk Stanley Kubrick Chuck Jones Michael Gebert is author of The Encyclopedia of Movie Awards (St. Martin's, 1996), which includes (among its many listings and analyses of who won what why) a number of famous top 10 lists like the Sight & Sound critics polls. Writer on film, media, advertising and food for Video Watchdog, Adweek, Advertising Age, Chicago Reader, etc., as well as advertising copywriter on many famous brands. tally after this list / November 18, 2005 Robert Cote Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968) North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959) 8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963) Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994) Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Stanley Donan, 1954) Red Violin (François Girard, 1998) Schindler's List (Steven Spielberg, 1993) Honorable mentions: Ben-Hur (William Wyler, 1959) Singin' in the Rain (Stanley Donan, 1952) To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962) Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975) Mad Max (George Miller, 1979) Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942) Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981) King Kong (Merian C. Cooper/Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933) The English Patient (Anthony Minghella, 1996) tally after this list / November 18, 2005 Neal Romanek (in alphabetical order) The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, 1978) Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933) Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman, 1982) Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975) Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962) La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini, 1960) Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) The Red Shoes (Michael Powell, 1948) The Reflecting Skin (Philip Ridley, 1990) Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) Top 10 Directors (in alphabetical order): Woody Allen Ingmar Bergman Federico Fellini John Ford Alfred Hitchcock Stanley Kubrick Akira Kurosawa David Lean Michael Powell Billy Wilder Neal Romanek is a screenwriter working in Los Angeles. tally after this list / November 18, 2005 Brandon Clarke Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950) Au hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Peter Jackson, 2002) Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone, 1984) Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman, 1957) The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994) In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar Wai, 2000) Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) Ran (Akira Kurosawa, 1985) Top 10 Directors: Akira Kurosawa Ingmar Bergman Robert Bresson John Ford Kenji Mizoguchi Steven Spielberg Alfred Hitchcock Federico Fellini Masaki Kobayashi Terry Gilliam Brandon Clarke is a Quality Assurance Supervisor for the Home Shopping Network. tally after this list / November 18, 2005 SEE MORE TOP 10 LISTS

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