When it comes to movies it seems as if I’ve been living under a rock.
ABC Television had a wonderful special last night looking at the top 100 movies as voted by the Australian public.
I must say that I’m surprised at how few of the list I’ve seen. I’ve highlighted the movies that I can honestly say I’ve watched all the way through. I’ve seen bits and pieces of lots of the movies listed and I’ve seen almost all of a handful of the others here.
How about you? I’m sure you’ve seen a lot more than I have. What movie would you have put on top of the list? Did your favourite make this top 100?
1-10
1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2. Amelie
3. Blade Runner
4. The Shawshank Redemption
5. Donnie Darko
6. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
7. Pulp Fiction
8. The Princess Bride
9. Gone With The Wind
10. Fight Club
11-20
11. The Sound of Music
12. To Kill A Mockingbird
13. 2001: A Space Odyssey
14. Casablanca
15. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
16. American Beauty
17. Doctor Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
18. Monty Python’s Life of Brian
19. Lawrence Of Arabia
20. Apocalypse Now
21-30
21. Cinema Paradiso
22. Doctor Zhivago
23. The Matrix
24. The Castle
25. Singin’ in the Rain
26. A Clockwork Orange
27. The Blues Brothers
28. Withnail and I
29. Life is Beautiful
30. The Godfather
31-40
31. Moulin Rouge
32. Some Like it Hot
33. Lost in Translation
34. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
35. Local Hero
36. The Third Man
37. Brazil
38. Serenity
39. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
40. A Room with a View
41-50
41. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
42. Dead Poets Society
43. Harold and Maude
44. The Big Lebowski
45. The Wizard of Oz
46. Out Of Africa
47. Picnic at Hanging Rock
48. The Usual Suspects
49. Cabaret
50. Forrest Gump
51-60
51. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
52. The Piano
53. Pirates of the Carribbean – The Curse of the Black Pearl
54. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
55. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
56. The City of Lost Children
57. The African Queen
58. Love Actually
59. Strictly Ballroom
60. Wings of Desire
61-70
61. Raiders of the Lost Ark
62. Babette’s Feast
63. The Fifth Element
64. Spirited Away
65. Aliens
66. It’s a Wonderful Life
67. Napoleon Dynamite
68. Rear Window
69. Romeo And Juliet
70. Dirty Dancing
71-80
71. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
72. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
73. Trainspotting
74. Muriel’s Wedding
75. When Harry Met Sally
76. The Great Escape
77. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
78. Gallipoli
79. Lantana
80. Garden State
81-90
81. Sin City
82. Chariots of Fire
83. The English Patient
84. This is Spinal Tap
85. Chocolat
86. Fargo
87. Look Both Ways
88. Goodfellas
89. Aliens
90. Grease
91-100
91. All About Eve
92. Citizen Kane
93. Stand By Me
94. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
95. Mulholland Drive
96. Back to the Future
97. High Fidelity
98. The Thin Red Line
99. Being John Malkovich
100. Dead Man
Posted by Rodney Olsen
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We watched this program too and thought that the top 10 was a strange selection. I have never even heard of Donnie Darko? I am curious to know what type of people voted and how representative they are of society?
Phew! So I’m not the only one who has no idea what Donnie Darko is all about.
I’m trying to come up with my own top ten. I’ll post it within the next couple of days … I hope.
I’ve been wondering about Donnie Darko myself. I think it’s something to do with a psychotic toy rabbit? Probably not.
Glad to see that Napoleon Dynamite made the top 100.
I got to get a life! Of the 100 movies listed I’ve seen 57 in their entirety. Of the top 30 I’ve seen 20, and like you Rodney, there were many more that I have seen bits and pieces of.
Donnie Darko would not have been one of my top 10, but it was good to see Amelie there. Just love Audrey Tautou, her latest movie ?A Very Long Engagement? was enthralling.
i’ve seen most of those movies, napolean dynamite was a good one. i recommend you see Shawshanks Redemption, its an amazing movie, but not for the kids.
Amelie was a good movie, i haven’t seen Donnie Darko but apparently its good.
Either I watch way too much tv or you’ve missed some absolute classics!
Monty Python. Just do it. A bit irreverant but, seriously, you can not die without seeing the Grail, or Brian for that matter. All Christians should watch the Life of Brian just for the chance to laugh at themselves. The joke’s not on Jesus, really, it’s on us š
And I can not believe that you haven’t seen Grease. The. Best. Soundtrack. In. World. History.
I’ve seen the Grease Arena Spectacular at Burswood Dome. I’ve seen bits of it on TV and we have the soundtrack but the movie leaves me cold.
The story seems to be that a nice girl like Sandy can’t have the guy she wants so she dresses like a tramp and takes up smoking. Doesn’t really work for me.
Ah, but Danny tries everything to win her, too, including trying (unsuccesfully) to be a ‘jock’ and finally giving up his leather T-bird jacket. They end up changing for each other (Awwwwww).
Plus, you’ve gotta see Liv dance in those incredible pants.
I went through the list. I had seen almost all of the top twenty, then it dropped off a bit. I have seen 65 of the movies listed.
I own a copy of Donnie Darko and watched part of it again last week. Actually, I had it playing with the director’s commentary running while I worked. I looked over now and then if they said something interesting. You could say that the movie is about hope vs. fate and how that intersects with our view of reality.
I also rewatched the director’s cut of Blade Runner last week. It had been a long time since I had seen it. Still excellent.
Puplp Fiction. I watched half of it with my wife, then she left in disgust. I watched it all the way through last summer. Very well crafted.
Life is Beautiful – what a deeply touching, poignent movie.
Usual Suspects – I had heard that this was one of the favorite movies of a number of friends and associates. I watched it. I don’t own it, but I will probably rent it again some time.
Amelie is a wonderful film. I love the use of colour.
Shawshank Redemption – great film.
I just watched Million Dollar Baby this weekend. I would include it in this list. I think it is Clint Eastwood’s finest work as an actor and as a director.
No Kurosawa in the list?
Quirkie beat me to it, but I have to echo it. I cannot believe you have not seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, nor The Life of Brian!! But then again you are not a Goodies fan either. Sometimes I just don’t understand you Rodney š
The lack of Alfred Hitchcock films disapointed me. He was the master at thrillers.
The only other movies that I would add in would be Hero for its visuals and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as I think it has a fantastic story and character development.
As for the choice of movies, I believe anyone could vote for them online.
As far as Hitchcock films go, I would have put his 1940 classic, Rebecca, in my top 5.
I’m dissapointed that “Titanic” was not on there. That was the best movie (I think anyway).
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I was looking at the TV guide last night. Donnie Darko was on SBS at 10pm last night!! So I have recorded it so that I can see for myself what all the fuss is about. I am expecting something rather strange!
I caught the last half of donnie darko, and I only slightly caught on to what was going on. fairly sombre feel to the movie…
Great List!!! Thanks