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How do!

So this is kind of experimental as threads go. It will rely heavily on audience participation. And could be seen/read as “film studies for idiots”. And yes. I am an idiot so please don’t think I’m being snarky.

What I’m looking for are folks to, well, champion a movie they feel is cinematic perfection. Doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks (and no dunking on the opinions of others, thankyouplease). Provided you hold it in high regard, I only ask you do what you can to sell it to others.

I’ll go first. And it’s some low hanging fruit.

Robocop

This is a film which keeps on giving. On its surface, it’s an entirely competent and indeed notable 80’s action flick. Lots of guns, lots of swearing, lots of gore. Luvverly. But….if you’re of a mind and leaning to dig beneath the surface? It’s a very positive rabbit hole of competent film making. I won’t go into it here, as much of what I’ve come to appreciate was first pointed out by various YouTube’s (particularly FactFiend, which you should absolutely check out)

Now, there are many, many films which require some level of media awareness/further viewing to properly understand. But Robocop absolutely can be enjoyed as a stupid action flick, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Pacing is good. Plot is kind of simplistic but well delivered, and the acting is above par for its genre. But if you care to dip your toe into the realm of film studies? As mentioned it just keeps giving.

Given I’ve praised it as an 80’s flick? That’s quite remarkable.

I bloody love Robocop!

Whenever discussions like this come up I always mention:

Goodfellas

For me Goodfellas is true cinematic perfection. Whenever I watch it the time just flies by, not bad for a film that's almost two and a half hours long. The reason being that each scene is just crafted so well, there is no redundancy.

A lot of people talk about Joe Pesci (specifically "Why am I funny?") or the walk into the Copacabana on Henry and Karen's first date. There are so many more scenes that could be used as examples of cinematic masterpiece though. From the prison scenes, to the wedding, to the scene at Tommy's mother's house. There simply isn't a scene I would want to cut from the entire film.

Scorsese is no slouch when it comes to cinema, he excelled even himself with Goodfellas though, and has not made a better film since.

Romeo + Juliet.
The cast is magnificent, the costume design phenomenal, the musical score- it just hits on so many levels. Even better, it is just flat out entertaining and a fun, wild ride- that happens to be outstandingly made.

It also helps preserve an era and a locale. By staying so true to its 90s Miami aesthetic... the thing became a period piece as time marched on and left that style behind. I haven't seen anything get South Florida so right since Romeo + Juliet until Burn Notice.

Princess Bride

Perfect family entertainment. The characters are so over the top, and so perfectly suited to the film. The fight scenes are well crafted and hugely enjoyable. Its totally safe for kids, but enough in there for adults as well.

Infinitely quotable. Its inconceivable that anyone would not enjoy this film.

A Genius, two partners and a Dupe 1975.

This movie was amazing and a really fun ride. Colorful characters and a happy ending. Terrance Hill plays Joe Thanks who might actually be the Coyote spirit.
so, spoilers?
It's an adventure to make some money and screw the government, by way of the U.S. cavalry, in the process.
It's easily as good as My name is Nobody. But thankfully the soundtrack isn't played at full blast in this film. I believe I read this was either a prequel or sequel to My name is Nobody. Terrance Hill seems to be playing the same character.

Big Trouble In Little China (1986)

Memorable characters and a strange reversal of the hero/sidekick dynamic (the hero is the bumbling fool while the sidekick is the badass) are a big part of why this movie is great. The music is very '80s and I mean that in a good way (most if not all of John Carpenter's movies have great music, and he did a lot of it himself!). There's lots of action scenes but no over-the-top blood and gore (other than the one dude exploding). And like The Princess Bride, mentioned above, this movie is extremely quotable.

Without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite movies!

Bring on The Pork Chop Express

I'm gonna go for a (possibly) lesser known film, that is probably gonna be like marmite.

Another Earth (2011)

Brit Marling plays an aspiring astrophysicist, about to start at MIT, who has a life changing event. This is one of those great movies that uses a sci-fi concept (a duplicate Earth is discovered) to talk about real life concerns - what would you do if you could start your life all over again, redemption, forgiveness etc.

However, don't expect a sci-fi movie. It's slow, emotional and the sci-fi elements are very much in the background in this one, but it's a great movie. Bit depressing though, lol.

Aliens, Pulp Fiction and The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.

I have a lot of favorite movies and favorite directors but when I think about one movie from those trio the first thing that comes to my mind is the very same thought: absolute perfection. Even if they are three very different movies. But they're all perfect examples about how cinema should be done.

The most notable works from John Carpenter, including the already mentioned Big Trouble in Little China, also fit this category with also an interesting feature: they're all low budget movies and yet so damn close to perfection. That's why I'd give them some notable mention even if they do have immediately recognizable flaws.

Groundhog Day

The best films should have tight themes that are portrayed through excellent script, a consistent environment, characters that develop and make sensible decisions and that, whether they be good or evil, we have empathy for.

Groundhog Day does all this and is bloody funny too.

Grosse Pointe Blank

Its clever, cool and funny - great acting by all involved - some excellent fight scenes and great dialogue and just a wonderful movie to enjoy throughout.

So many happy memories coming back from these recommendations

I’ve seen embarrassingly few of the films mentioned so far.

This sounds like a job for SITTING ON HIS ARSE WATCHING MOVIES MAN!

Is he a rock? Is he pile of abandoned clothing? No! More sedentary than a comatose Sloth, it’s…..SITTING ON HIS ARSE WATCHING MOVIES MAN!

Bad boys 2 or point break? Which one should we watch? No, which do we watch first!

(Also you should watch Hot Fuzz for the good of your general self)

Oh I’ve seen Hot Fuzz! But not the two mentioned….

 Mr Morden wrote:
Grosse Pointe Blank

Its clever, cool and funny - great acting by all involved - some excellent fight scenes and great dialogue and just a wonderful movie to enjoy throughout.

Agreed!

Parasite, and better, Snowpiercer.
Snowpiercer can be mapped to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave in a fine grained way, movement to movement. Flat genius.
Parasite is, as one major character suggests openly, a metaphor for the codependency of the rich and working poor in neo feudal latter day capitalism. For instance, the old man living in the basement of the house, worshipping the rich icon, having borrowed himself into living in hiding in a cave in the bowels of the home while still worshipping the rich icon, though his devotion to this dream keeps his wife a slave and he as well, without hope, all of them desperate…

And another metaphorical movie, this one lighter and newer, on Netflix, Don’t look up! Is a metaphor for how selfish short sighted egoist cult of personality type politicians and big tech “leaders” are destroying the world… the asteroid is only a literary device. The real danger is from high offices, not outer space, as the actual story does make clear by the end.

Predator

This is perhaps timeline contextual. It’s an Arnie film when Arnie was absolutely at the top of his game, as were action movies.

If you try to purge your memory of your wider experience, this is a Stand Out offering.

We get to see Arnie Arnieing. Cheesy one liners. Feats of kind of realistic strength. Frankly unfeasible bullet repelling. Up to and including the attack on the Gueruilla camp it’s all 80’s action flicks by the numbers, and a decent example of that dubious craft.

But…then it kind of inverts itself. All that time spent building his squad as ultimate, take no prisoners, take even less poo and ask only the most pertinent questions badasses is….solidly challenged.

This is writ most large when Jesse Ventura gets all ded, as we see the Usual Action Movie Solution, applied by those of pretty high skill just…..fail. They barely graze the beastie.

And it’s that (again if you do your best to watch it with fresh eyes) inversion of the trope that makes it so effective.

The finale showdown is again back to classic Arnie, but with him as the underdog literally living by his wits.

It’s just…..*chef’s kiss*.

Interstellar. Some of the best visuals and music I've ever seen on the screen.

The Big Short

A movie that is terrifying in its own way

Love your synopsis of Robocop and Predator there MDG! I agree wholeheartedly. Both films for me are absolute cinematic excellence, and I try to revisit them every year or two.

My film will be The Matrix (1999)

I'm not ever going to be able to give justice to how much I love this film or how great it is.

Think back to 1999.. you have to remember everyone was almost soiling their pants over the forthcoming new Star Wars prequel. (One film's takings were massive because people were seeing it, just because it was the first film to include the Phantom Menace preview!)
Then out of the left-field came a film that took everyone by surprise, and blew them all away.

Where do I start? The cast (everyone was perfectly cast.. Keanu, Hugo Weaving, Carrie-Ann Moss, Laurence Fishburne).
The action sequences - the fighting, combined with some of the new special effects (the now ubiquitous bullet time)
The drama! I still remember the audience letting out a groan as Laurence Fishburne's Morphius is getting beaten up by A Smith, and it becomes obvious he is going down. The first time Neo finally decides to not run and try and take on an Agent (really the moment the whole movie has been building up towards). The music drops several octaves and you just know something special is about to happen. And then, that scene..

The sequels could never ever match the impact that the original made. They had their moments, but they could never ever be the cinematic bombshell that landed with the original film in 1999.
Just writing this makes me want to watch the original again, and I have just got hold of a 4k remaster of it

For me it’s „Prestige” - just the right amount of Nolan in a Nolan movie. Thick atmosphere, great cast and acting all around (and a cherry on top - Bowie as Tesla), and a spot on depiction of two major psychiatric disorders - the best I saw anywhere.

nou wrote:

For me it’s „Prestige” - just the right amount of Nolan in a Nolan movie. Thick atmosphere, great cast and acting all around (and a cherry on top - Bowie as Tesla), and a spot on depiction of two major psychiatric disorders - the best I saw anywhere.

I second this - a great and absorbing watch, with a couple of real twists - one you may have seen coming, the other totally not!!

 Valkyrie wrote:
Interstellar. Some of the best visuals and music I've ever seen on the screen.

Nolan can do striking visuals - but his characters and story are (IMO) empty, souless relying purely on the imgery. style but no substance.

Goodfellas - agree fantastic movie.

Black Hawk Down

From another director who is the master of light, image and style but also has much more in his films - its looks fantastic sure but the action scenes are brilliant, the characters work well and excellent unforgetable moments

 Mr Morden wrote:

 Valkyrie wrote:
Interstellar. Some of the best visuals and music I've ever seen on the screen.

Nolan can do striking visuals - but his characters and story are (IMO) empty, souless relying purely on the imgery. style but no substance.

Try, if you haven't already seen, The Prestige, Insomnia and Memento, IMHO the best works from Nolan. Maybe Inception too. I think those movies got a lot of substance and characters are great. I agree about his most mainstream movies being primarily oriented on the imagery.

 Blackie wrote:

 Mr Morden wrote:

 Valkyrie wrote:
Interstellar. Some of the best visuals and music I've ever seen on the screen.

Nolan can do striking visuals - but his characters and story are (IMO) empty, souless relying purely on the imgery. style but no substance.

Try, if you haven't already seen, The Prestige, Insomnia and Memento, IMHO the best works from Nolan. Maybe Inception too. I think those movies got a lot of substance and characters are great. I agree about his most mainstream movies being primarily oriented on the imagery.

Tried 'em both - hugely underwhelmed. Especially Inception - looked quite pretty but that was about it (IMO) - he especially has an issue with making any kind of female character,

Weird, I saw the thread title in the "recent threads" listing and assumed that this would be a thread about the Horus Heresy trailer

I would go for...
Starship troopers.
Because it upsets so many American's 'I love the book'? No!
Because its the best fascist propaganda film I have ever seen. It follows the structures of the old Nazi and similar films. Really should be a text book film at film school demonstrating how the formula works.

It probably would have got less flak if it didn't have the name of the book, but hey. Even the story of how they got it past the exec's that would periodically enquire is brilliant.

Then on a personal note
District 9. As a former refugee camp worker the attitudes of the staff were spot on. For the rest its just a great sci fi action film. And undoubtedly South Africa's greatest cinematic achievement

I hate questions like these because when I think about it, there's not many films I truly love. I've seen lots of great films but very few that I think were genuinely spectacular.

The Godfather is certainly up there, as is Deerhunter. Princess Bride also a classic.

But for cinematic perfection? School of Rock. Fantastically enjoyable film, its a good laugh, great soundtrack and it's a warm and daft to watch.

I tried to Watch Deerhunter again recently (my partner hadn't seen it at all and I hadn't for many years). It's still an extremely powerful film and parts of it leave you in shock, and I admire how it was filmed, but my goodness is it slow to watch these days. One of the opening sequences of the wedding in the church and people just dancing around with a medley of music and half-heard dialogue. The scene lasted 25 minutes!
It definitely shows how films have changed - if it was filmed nowadays, De Niro would be setting people on fire with a flamethrower within the first 10 minutes..

 Blackie wrote:

 Mr Morden wrote:

 Valkyrie wrote:
Interstellar. Some of the best visuals and music I've ever seen on the screen.

Nolan can do striking visuals - but his characters and story are (IMO) empty, souless relying purely on the imgery. style but no substance.

Try, if you haven't already seen, The Prestige, Insomnia and Memento, IMHO the best works from Nolan. Maybe Inception too. I think those movies got a lot of substance and characters are great. I agree about his most mainstream movies being primarily oriented on the imagery.

All fantastic films. Watched Memento again recently and it still holds up pretty well today, again very good casting.

The Prestige is just thoroughly entertaining; Bale and Jackman are exceptional in it, was utterly enchanted by David Bowie!