March 4, 2003
MY FAVORITE FILMS
Critics and fans list their ten favorite films of all-time.
by Joe Bob Briggs, Mike Nelson, Douglas Rushkoff, David Poland, Ty Burr, Stephanie Zacharek, Bonnie Burton, Adam Finley, Tim Grierson, Rob Blackwelder, Matt Hinrichs, Joe Lavin, Rob Walker, Daniel Dunn, Tod Goldberg, A.J. Daulerio, Bob Sassone, and Brian Lewandowski.
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Mike NelsonThis list of my (current) top ten favorite films is brilliantly illustrative of one thing: I am the least cool person on the face of the earth. Foreign, art house and indy films are sadly under-represented. Not that I didn’t love Aguirre, The Wrath of God, or The Seventh Seal, or that one Inuit film about the fast runner (called, I think, Fast Runner), I loved them all! They represent some of the finest...okay I didn’t see them. So I have to go with those films that I have seen, or else it would be kind of cheating.
1. Casablanca: So easy, I know. But it’s awfully good, and let’s face it, every man thinks he’s Humphrey Bogart, even if the end of our romances usually involve punching parking meters and screaming, “Sherri! Just come out and talk to me,” at the window of a two story apartment building in a thick, sloe gin-induced slur.
2. Local Hero: How can you not love this Burt Lancaster line: “I’m glad I got here in time to stop your oil refinery caper, MacIntosh.”
3. Love Affair (1939): Either I’m secure enough in my masculinity to wholeheartedly recommend this film, or...well, I’m a woman. But there is a substantial amount of evidence suggesting I’m not a woman, which somehow means that this a great film and Irene Dunne is just fabulous. (Hmm. “Fabulous.” I guess I am a woman.)
4. The Elephant Man: No, he’s not much to look at. And I’m told it wasn’t easy to be around him because the huge bags of cauliflower-like rotting flesh hanging off his body could be somewhat off-putting. But he makes a great subject for a film! And truly, the scene where Treves takes him home to meet his proper Victorian wife is just one of the most heart breaking moments ever filmed.
5. My Favorite Year: Not a “great” film, certainly—blame it on the fact that Mark Linn Baker wasn’t able to play off Balkie—but even so, it’s pretty sweet and hilarious and it captures a performance by Peter O’Toole for which he should simply be canonized.
6. Henry V (1989): Shakespeare, he write good. And Brian Blessed in that huge suit of armor always brings a smile to my face. And Hank was right, I do think myself accursed that I was not there, and hold my manhood cheap (see Love Affair, above.)
7. To Kill a Mockingbird: A Hollywood studio film that is so much better than other examples of the breed (e.g., Billy Madison, Corky Romano, Little Nicky) that they should have dismantled the system after if was made. Among its good points: some fine source material, Elmer Bernstein’s score, those amazing kids, Gregory Peck, Brock Peters, and that scary guy who played Bob Ewell. (If you get the DVD, watch the accompanying documentary in which Peck claims that the Bob Ewell actor was just like his character and pretty much hated Peck and the rest of the cast. Wow!)
8. Animal Crackers: While I admit that this is filmed about as artfully as Billy Madison, or Corky Romano, or Little Nicky, the Marx Brothers are at their best and the dementia praecox style of comedy writing was at its zenith, which I think means that it’s really funny.
9. It’s a Wonderful Life: It’s another easy one, sure. But it says something about the artfulness of this film that I begin “pre-crying” when I think ahead to the next touching scene while style crying about the one I’m currently on. (That cuts it—I’m not just a woman, I’m a wonderful, vibrant female speciman.) This is an incredibly well written script and there is an economy to it that is astounding, as well as a depth to the art direction that I think gets overlooked because of its popularity.
10. The Straight Story: The story of an old guy. It’s actually a lot better than it sounds.
Mike Nelson is the former host and head writer of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and the author of several books. His latest, the novel "Death Rat," will be released this spring.
-------------------- Stephanie Zacharek
Ten favorites, in no particular order, and subject to change at any moment depending on which way the wind blows:
The Lady Eve
Broken Blossoms
The Wild Bunch
The Godfather I & II
The Apu Trilogy
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Jules et Jim
Holiday
L'Atalante OR Sunrise (I know that's cheating, but how can I choose between the two?)
Masculine Feminine
The Elephant Man
Irma Vep
The Leopard
I know that's way more than 10, but seeing them all written down like that, I just can't bear to cut any. So we'll leave it at that.
Stephanie Zacharek is a senior writer at Salon.
-------------------- Douglas Rushkoff
1. Night of the Hunter: Can actually give you weird dreams. Charles Laughton's only directing stint.
2. Sweet Smell of Success: As far as a movie can go this side of camp.
3. Cabaret: The only successful movie musical other than Wizard of Oz.
4. Pickpocket: Bresson's subtle masterwork.
5. The Stalker: Tarkovksy trippy weirdness in Russia.
6. Vanya on 42nd Street: The best Chekhov on stage or film.
7. Fight Club: The culmination of the 90s.
8. South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut: The culmination of the century.
9. The Private Life of King Henry VIII: Watch the eating.
10. Freaks: Made me feel loved.
Douglas Rushkoff is the author of ten books, translated into twenty languages. His latest, a deconstruction of religion called "Nothing Sacred, will be released in April.
-------------------- Ty Burr
Today, mine are:
1. Bringing Up Baby
2. The Godfather
3. Celine and Julie Go Boating
4. Aguirre, the Wrath of God
5. I Know Where I'm Going
6. Aliens
7. Rear Window
8. Written on the Wind
9. Pierrot le Fou
10. Seven SamuraiTy Burr is film critic for The Boston Globe.
-------------------- Joe Bob Briggs
1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
2. Hellraiser
3. Night of the Living Dead
4. The Wild Bunch
5. And God Created Woman
6. Reservoir Dogs
7. Re-Animator
8. The Wild Angels
9. Crash
10. Ilsa, She-Wolf of the S.S.
Joe Bob Briggs is a writer, actor, and former host of TNT's "MonsterVision." A former commentator on "The Daily Show," he has written for Playboy, Rolling Stone, Talk, Penthouse, and writes a column for UPI. He has appeared in several movies, including "Casino," "Face-Off," and "The Stand." His latest book, "Profoundly Disturbing: Twenty Shocking Films That Changed History," will be released on May 1.
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