Althouse: I love "Fight Club."

October 25, 2005

I love "Fight Club."

But this list is just nuts. "UK film experts" -- they are apparently all young guys!

UPDATE: Here's a top 50 films list my son Christopher came up with a year and half ago.

13 comments:

knox said...: Yeah, that's a little weird. And LotR? Empire Strikes Back??? I love both of these, but I can distinguish between really liking them and thinking they are 'great' films.; 10/25/05, 9:00 PM
XWL said...: I've never even seen Fight Club so it wouldn't place on any list I make.

And I don't think on an ordered list that I would put Goodfellas that high (and I hate ordered lists anyway, it's easier to know what isn't your top pick rather than what is)

(and I refuse to do anymore link whoring this week (once a week is plenty), so anybody who feels compelled to visit my blogger website and read about the 54 films I consider worth mentioning will be doing so against my wishes); 10/25/05, 9:32 PM
Anonymous said...: I like Fight Club, the novel, even better. I think it's a template for creating a terrorist through psychological manipulation.; 10/25/05, 10:48 PM
Wade Garrett said...: Chinatown would definitely be on my top 10. Every time I see that movie, I like it more and more. I don't see how Jaws deserves to be on this list at all. Fight Club is good, but top ten? I'd say top 100.

Also, for the purpose of lists like this, I would say that the Godfathers deserve to be treated as one movie, like the Lord of the Rings!; 10/25/05, 11:41 PM
W.B. Reeves said...: Ann,

I think your son's list is outstanding. I wrote off the UK list when I saw it contained no silent films in its top ten and that the only non-english title was "Tokyo Story." I'm with you on this. I happen to love Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant in "His Girl Friday" but it doesn't belong in the top ten.

I am in disagreement with him about a few ommissions. Has he never seen Bertolucci's "1900" (uncut of course)? Everyone always lists "Citizen Kane" and for a very good reason: it is one of the greatest films ever made.

I wont pick anymore nits. Your son has great taste in cinema. The Brits need to remember that film as an art form is over a hundred years old. It didn't begin with the "talkies" and it was never limited to the precincts of the Hollywood Dream factory.; 10/26/05, 12:47 AM
Ann Althouse said...: It seems to me that those UK experts decided who their favorite directors were, then picked their favorite film of his. Hence, "Jaws," etc.; 10/26/05, 6:28 AM
Sloanasaurus said...: Yikes!

Your son's list is proof as to why socialism will never and has never worked.; 10/26/05, 7:47 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Sloan: What does that mean?; 10/26/05, 7:53 AM
Sloanasaurus said...: That people can be so different in what they want and enjoy.

I wouldn't put a single movie from your son's list in my top 50. To each his own....; 10/26/05, 8:17 AM
Anonymous said...: Right, lindsey, all the major critics avoided the terrorist parallel. Just like they avoided the obvious oppression and our justified liberation in Osama.

I don't mind a culture war, but let both sides be heard.; 10/26/05, 11:17 AM
Ann Althouse said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 10/26/05, 5:13 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Emily: This is one of the most beautiful and amazing films ever, a great tale of human folly on the grand scale. And the ending!; 10/26/05, 5:14 PM
reader_iam said...: Between the two lists of your son's, I can find most of the films I'd put in my top 50 (although, why stop there anyway?). I wouldn't much want to rank order them one by one (but admire those who can), but could probably put them in tiers of ten.

I know many wouldn't agree about a film that I didn't see on his list (unless I overlooked it), "Raging Bull." I just thought DeNiro's depiction was amazing, and Moriarty was excellent also. Many scenes from this movie linger in my mind.

All this talk of movies is bringing back so many good memories from, especially, the 1970s and 1980s, during which I was lucky enough have put in a number of stints working part-time at a theatre (primarily an art house, foreign and indie film venue) and a video store. And I stayed friends with the owners! So for a long stretch, I got to watch and/or rent whatever I wanted, snd for free! Wheeeeeee!!!!! Very handy when I worked odd hours and nights and, because I had a key, could stop in the wee hours and snag a video (or two or three).

Anyway, that's why I got to see My Dinner with Andre so many times, lucky me (although, that's also why I got to see Rocky Horror so many scores of time, so a mixed bag, I guess). I love that film.

Good times, good times ...; 10/26/05, 9:56 PM