Jim Jarmusch is one of the most interesting directors living. His concept of film-making transcends the restraints of genres. The subject matters that he tackles would yield hideous results in lesser hands. How many directors could make a existential ode to isolationism compelling? Jarmusch is one the few for sure.
Stranger than Paradise is an amazing film. Jarmusch handled the long tracking shots with ease. He had the audacity to actually allow the scenes to develop. Image that, a director who sees a concept to fruition. This is definitely not typical Hollywood fare.
I agree with JP Belmondo, the list of American directors with any integrity is very short indeed. Jarmusch definitely makes that list. In fact, it seems rather ridiculous to even be having this conversation seeing as how we are talking about a master film-maker. How could anyone dispute the excellence of his body of work?
Somebody actually put John Ford on this list? Everybody is entitled to their own opinion but, I don’t understand this one. John Ford made some really good films that were a source of inspiration for the likes of Akira Kurosawa and Sergio Leone. He influence on directing is still being felt today. I’m baffled.
Spielberg is definitely over-rated. His films are very contrived. It seems like he’s always trying to make the next great epic. His ideas are sworn out. He’s well past the point where he should have retired.
By the way, E.T. is one the worst movies I’ve ever seen.
Charlotte, I agree with you. Tarantino is very, very, very, very, very, very over-rated. The only decent movies he’s made are Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Everything else is crap.
Tarantino is a ego-maniac who loves the sound of his own voice. It wouldn’t hurt my feeling one bit if he never made another film. He’s another director who should retire!!!
How the hell did he ever get to the point where he was considered the voice of 90’s cinema?
Instead of going for the most over-rated, it might be easier if the topic is simply over-rate directors. There are way too many in the game that get too much attention to just pick one.
The films that have been mentioned so far are very good choices. Each of them exemplifies the art of film making in a different way. Some were beautifully directed, others have great cinematography and while others have excellent screenplays. It’s cool to see a wide range of choices.
Some my picks include:
Ugetsu. The cinematography and direction are superb. It is amazing how good the film looks even though it was released more than fifty years ago. The script was very well executed, too. Having a top notch director and an excellent screenwriter certainly did hurt this production.
Sancho the Bailiff. Another Mizoguchi masterpiece. The story that this film is based on is timeless. It seems as though the planets aligned when this one was made. The best director in Japan got his hand on one of the best scripts ever written and created a work of art. No film collection is complete without it.
Seven Samurai. This is one of the most beautifully directed ever made. Kurosawa was at the top of his game.
Before the Rain. The cinematography for this film is absolutely stunning. Some of the nighttime shots are astounding. The sky is the deepish blue imaginable. The cinematographer really gave the colorist something with which to work. This movie is one of the best from the 90’s. It was unfortunately overshadowed by Pulp Fiction.
Days of Heaven. Visually, this film is stunning.
Paris, Texas. Great story, awesome dialog, very good directing, beautiful from start to finish.
Spirit of the Beehive. Ana Torrent gave one of the best performances ever. This film has it all. Great acting, good direction, excellent screenplay and very good cinematography.
Henry V by Laurence Olivier. This is one of the most inspiring films ever made. Braveheart pales in comparison.
Henry V by Kenneth Branaugh. The soundtrack is totally awesome. The scene of the choir singing after the battle is one of the most memorable captured on film.
Pan’s Labyrinth. This film is a visual feast.
The Burmese Harp.
Bicycle Thieves. One of the most amazing films ever made.
Pirating films is bad news. Many hard working people are not properly remunerated when movies are copied without permission. Not only that but, the quality of movies suffers at the hands of pirates.
I don’t agree with Josef K. at all. There are way too many properly released films that I haven’t seen yet to waste my on inferior bootlegs. I would much rather find a high quality DVD of a movie than watch a crappy copy of something that has gotten a proper release.
I don’t buy any of these justifications for ripping people off.
Hello, My name is Neal. I love films, I’m not a film student and have never been one. This is an awesome website. As usual the Criterion Collection gets things right.
Yes, it is very difficult to find people who enjoy good cinema. Average citizens flock to their local megaplexes and think that they are viewing the best that the industry has to offer. I guess that we, as real film lovers, are fortunate that we haven’t fallen into the Hollywood trap.
I am a huge fan of Japanese Cinema. Kurosawa, Ozu and Mizoguchi are some of favorite directors. They deal with some heavy and interesting subject matters. It is absolutely amazing how their work can linger in the consciousness for days. Seven Samurai, Sancho the Bailiff, Ugetsu, Ikiru and Early Summer are some the best films I’ve ever seen.
Anyway, that’s a rather short version of my story.
Some of these posts are totally non sequitur. It’s good to have a sense of humor but, it’s much better if it has something to do with the subject at hand.
Hey Kevin Salyers, it seems as though you’re the voice of reason here. Thank you for the link to avmaniacs.com.
Pirating of films just plain wrong. If a film doesn’t get an R1 release, I’m not going to waste my time looking for it. There so many good films that are available that I couldn’t possibly watch all in a single lifetime. I don’t understood the fixation with films that aren’t available in the U.S. We are so lucky to have the Criterion Collection. What could possibly be better than that?
Remind me to never count you as a friend. Your point of view toward films is atrocious. How can you consider yourself a film lover with that mindset? You’re not even willing to see that the guy who toils behind the camera gets paid. How is he ever going to able continuing making films if he can even put food on his table? Because, if he doesn’t get paid enough times, he will eventually stop shooting films.
Why don’t we all just bend our standards, pirate films and tell all movie makers that their efforts to put out quality products are a waste of time? It would simply make this whole argument pointless and everybody would be able to do whatever the hell they wanted to do. Boy, that really looks like a promising future.
We’ll just maintain we standard of decency as long it’s expedient for us. As for the film makers, that’s their problem. If they can’t distribute the films that we want to see, we’ll just undermine all of their hard work and have a ball doing it. Because, we’re going to watch what we want to watch when we want to watch it. The decision has been made and if you film makers don’t like it well, don’t shoot anymore films. In the end, it’s not going to matter because, we don’t need you, we can pirate films.
All of the justifications for pirating films only proves one thing, the society that we live in doesn’t think much of artists. I don’t understand it. We love the work that they do but, we don’t care if they get paid for doing it. Huh? That sounds pretty weird to me. WTF?
All of you pirates – thieves – out there, there are a lot people who are suffering because of your actions. Just remember that the next time you watch a film that you stole. Somebody didn’t get a paycheck because too many people didn’t pay for rights to watch that film. It’s much easier to access bittorrent than it is to wait for a proper – legal – release.
If you’ve ever wondered why movie tickets are so expensive, all of you pirates should take a look in the mirror. The production costs of movie making are soaring because the movie industry is constantly trying to recoup their losses. The actions of pirates are chewing up of profits – incentives for making more films – of producers, actors, directors, etc. So, the next time you have to pay $10 to watch a crappy
Adam Sander film, you can thank a pirate.
And if production companies go out of business and some innocents suffer in the process, then to me it’s just a slightly different version of the Darwinism that die hard western market capitalists have been dishing out for the last half century or more with smug, self-satisfied expressions on their faces.
Maybe you’re right, the proliferation of piracy just might result a more widely spread availability of films. It still doesn’t mitigate the act of stealing intellectual properties. This whole argument isn’t at all about the evolution of the film industry. Look at the original question. IS BUYING PIRATED DVDS JUSTIFIED, ETC.?
If you can justify buying pirated DVDs, that’s your choice. However, many people are affected by your actions. Consumers pays higher prices for legitimate releases and production assistants see shrinking paychecks. When you start looking at an issue like this it is important to keep in mind the effect that it creates.
All of these arguments in favor of piracy are self-serving. It’s so much easier to justify the transgression than it is exercise a little discipline and restraint. The rule of the day is instant gratification and to heck with the consequences. If they don’t give me what I want I’m going to take it. How much more selfish can you get?
As far as I can see, the upshot is barbarism not innovation. All that the movie industry is trying to do now is protect what it already has, not create something new. In a lawless world like the internet the name of the game self-preservation. The movie studios are being spurred by duress not inspiration. How can that ever result in real advancement?
It is very easy to mistake technological advances as innovation. If a movie studio is better able to protect their intellectual properties they’ve really spent their time well. Now nobody can infringe on their rights to distribution and we’re all better off for it. Seems logical, I guess.
Wait a minute though, didn’t actors and directors originally go into the business to make movies? Rudolph Valentino didn’t say to his director, “Hey, why don’t we find a really good way the protect this movie so that nobody can steal it.” He said, “Hey, why don’t we make a really good movie that people will enjoy.” The impulse was to communication an idea that others could relate to through the use of motion pictures not to keep someone else from stealing a film.
What I love about the internet is the ability to see clips, trailers, complete movies, old films – all kinds of movies I can see and experience. I hope no one would want to take that away. So, let the new mediums flourish and let us hope the good companies embrace the exisiting potential. I believe we all must do our small bit to support those distributors and artists we believe in by buying and promoting their work whenever we can – within our budget, of course. Let’s continue to love and cherise films and the many and varied ways we can view them.
I agree with you 100%. Distributors like the Criterion Collection should definitely embrace new technology. As they improve on their ability to make films available everybody benefits.
Having content available on-line is a great tool. It’s very nice to able to log-in to The Auteurs to watch a film. Things of this nature are only going to improve the movie watching experience. I wish that there were more sites like this. It would be foolish to not utilize these new tools and technologies.
I don’t think that there’s anyone here who is not willing to embrace greater availability of content. Everyone who logs in to this website does so in the hope of finding out about films they haven’t seen before. I think that we are all clamoring for greater availability of quality cinema. We wouldn’t even be having this conversation if that wasn’t the case. This is one thing that each and every one of us, regardless of our stand on this issue, can agree upon.
iTunes sucks. If you like to download music go to Amiestreet.com. Their prices are much better and they at least have the decency to tell what the quality of the music is before you download it. I know it’s totally off of the subject but, you’ve mentioned iTunes a few times and I figured that would be a good opportunity to give you a heads up. Check it out, you might be surprised by what you find.
I am only including films which I have seen on this list. Next year I’m sure it will change. However, there a many films on this list which will always be included.
Top 100
1. Seven Samurai
2. Ugetsu
3. Raging Bull
4. Sansho the Bailiff
5. Rules of the Game
6. Bicycle Thieves
7. The Passion of Joan of Arc
8. The Battleship Potemkin
9. The Seventh Seal
10. La Strada
11. Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein
12. To Kill a Mocking Bird
13. Citizen Kane
14. 8 1/2
15. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
16. Army of Shadows
17. La Jetee
18. Woman in the Dunes
19. Days of Heaven
20. The Hidden Fortress
21. The Third Man
22. Killer of Sheep
23. No Country for Old Men
24. Stagecoach
25. Rashomon
26. Before the Rain
27. M
28. Snow White
29. The Leopard
30. Pandora’s Box
31. Schindler’s List
32. Ran
33. King Kong (1933)
34. Spirit of the Beehive
35. The Adventures of Robin Hood
36. Dr. Strangelove
37. The Burmese Harp
38. Planet of the Apes (Charlton Heston)
39. Stranger than Paradise
40. The Battle of Algiers
41. Ikiru
42. Star Wars (first film)
42. Pan’s Labyrinth
43. Wages of Fear
44. The Sting
45. The Fugitive (Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones)
46. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1955)
47. Eraserhead
48. Fargo
49. Lord of the Rings (Fellowship, Two Towers and Return of the King)
50. Henry V (Laurence Olivier)
51. La Bete Humaine
52. Maltese Falcon
53. Wings of Desire
54. Paris, Texas
55. Notorious
56. Harlan County, U.S.A.
57. A Hard Day’s Night
58. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
59. Alien
60. Yi Yi
61. Don’t Look Back
62. Young Mr. Lincoln
63. Halloween
64. The Vanishing
65. 400 Blows
66. Brazil
67. The Gods Must Be Crazy
68. Henry V (Kenneth Branagh)
69. Naked
70. Toy Story
71. The Last Waltz
72. Cool Hand Luke
73. A Clockwork Orange
74. Grapes of Wrath
75. Dracula (Bela Lugosi)
76. In Cold Blood
77. Alphaville
78. City of God
79. Network
80. Rocky (first film)
81. Koyaanisqatsi
82. The Fog of War
83. Last Stand of the 300 (History Channel documentary)
84. Slacker
85. Hiroshima Mon Amour
86. 2001 A Space Odyssey
87. House of Games
88. Dog Day Afternoon
89. All the President’s Men
90. Million Dollar Baby
91. Se7en
92. Enter the Dragon
93. Onibaba
94. Rififi
95. Ivan’s Childhood
96. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
97. A Shot in the Dark
98. Robocop
99. The 39 Steps
100. Mon Oncle
Spirit of the Beehive – Luis Cuadrado
Before the Rain – Manuel Teran
Seven Samurai – Asakazu Nakai
The Third Man – Robert Krasker
Days of Heaven – Nester Almendros
Sansho the Bailiff – Kazuo Miyagawa
Paris, Texas – Robert Muller
Wings of Desire – Henri Alekan
Battle of Algiers- Marcello Gatti
Marlon Brando – On the Waterfront
Peter Sellers – Dr. Strangelove
Gena Rowlands – A Woman Under the Influence
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
Harry Dean Stanton – Paris, Texas
Robert Deniro – Raging Bull
Toshiro Mifune – Seven Samurai
Renée Falconetti – The Passion of Joan of Arc
Brock Peters – To Kill a Mocking Bird
Ana Torrent – Spirit of the Beehive
Pete Lorre – M
Laurence Olivier – Hamlet and Henry V
Anthony Quinn and Giulietta Masina – La Strada
Tatsuya Nakadai – Ran
Henry Fonda – Grapes of Wrath
Louise Brooks – Pandora’s Box
Samuel L. Jackson – Pulp Fiction
Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann – Persona
Machiko Kyo – Ugetsu
Sean Penn and Tim Robbins – Mystic River
Claude Rains – The Invisible Man
Kyoko Kagawa – Sansho the Bailiff
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Capote
Kenneth Branagh – Henry V
Christopher Walken – The Deer Hunter
Michael Caine – Children of Men
Michel Simon – Boudu Saved from Drowning
Peter Greene – Clean, Shaven
Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men
This thread got dumped into the crapper in a hurry. It’s unfortunate that opinions don’t matter anymore. So, I guess that this is nothing but an exercise in futility. But, I’m going to step out an a limb anyway. It was inevitable, with all the cynicism, sarcasm and irony in the world I should have seen it coming. It has become nearly impossible to form a clear thought, let alone articulate it.
In spite of any ideas to the contrary, the sun will rise in the morning to another day and there will still be an infinity of opinions to shape that moment. No matter how meaningless those concepts are. But, wait a minute, I just made a meaningful statement. How silly of me, I must have over-stepped my bounds because, no one has ever has ever impacted culture with a thought – not Bergman, not Kurosawa, not Lennon, not McCartney, not Mozart, not Beethoven, not Captain Kangaroo. There never was an purpose to the consciousness to which we were so humbly bestowed. Yes, I’m just a cynical A**HOLE like anyone else.
That said, just remember one thing, you are the bearer of all that shapes your perceptions, and thus, quality of life. If you are not willing to grant another the latitude needed to form thoughts and ideas, you have chosen to diminish your own effectiveness as a human being. I contend that you are responsible for your own misery. So, the next time you have a hard time getting your point across, take a good look in the mirror.
No, I’m not an existentialist, that ilk has never had anything decent to say about anyone.
While Shotzi says this thread is lame he says absolutely nothing else. He must not have an opinion at all, LOL. Now that’s deep, saying something without saying anything at all. Bravo!!!
If opinions don’t matter, why are you here in this forum? Why are slinging you crap all over the place? Obviously what I wrote had an impact on you. It turning you into a raving lunatic. You took everything that I said personally. I simply made a rather meaning statement and said so in my original post. You on the other hand continue to say absolutely nothing.
Shotzi,
If I haven’t said anything interesting, then why are you dissecting every minute detail?
As for the mockery, every one of your posts have been couched in a scornful tone. If there is anyone here being condescending, it is you. And yes, you have been mocked. Thoroughly, I might add.
Aaron Delgado,
Thank you for putting up a decent post. I agree with you 100%. The internet can be a very powerful communication tool. Most of us are here because we value the opinions of others and take comfort in the community that this forum provides.
Terminator Salvation – 4/10. The beginning was decent but, the middle and the end were absolutely atrocious. The plot has as many holes as a chunk of Swiss cheese. Do not waste your money on this stupid film. It is probably worse than Terminator 3. Hollywood needs to put this franchise to rest.
Why I Love Jim Jarmusch over 3 years ago
Jim Jarmusch is one of the most interesting directors living. His concept of film-making transcends the restraints of genres. The subject matters that he tackles would yield hideous results in lesser hands. How many directors could make a existential ode to isolationism compelling? Jarmusch is one the few for sure.
Stranger than Paradise is an amazing film. Jarmusch handled the long tracking shots with ease. He had the audacity to actually allow the scenes to develop. Image that, a director who sees a concept to fruition. This is definitely not typical Hollywood fare.
I agree with JP Belmondo, the list of American directors with any integrity is very short indeed. Jarmusch definitely makes that list. In fact, it seems rather ridiculous to even be having this conversation seeing as how we are talking about a master film-maker. How could anyone dispute the excellence of his body of work?
Go to Comment
Who do you think the most overrated director is? over 3 years ago
Somebody actually put John Ford on this list? Everybody is entitled to their own opinion but, I don’t understand this one. John Ford made some really good films that were a source of inspiration for the likes of Akira Kurosawa and Sergio Leone. He influence on directing is still being felt today. I’m baffled.
Go to Comment
Who do you think the most overrated director is? over 3 years ago
Spielberg is definitely over-rated. His films are very contrived. It seems like he’s always trying to make the next great epic. His ideas are sworn out. He’s well past the point where he should have retired.
By the way, E.T. is one the worst movies I’ve ever seen.
Go to Comment
Who do you think the most overrated director is? over 3 years ago
Charlotte, I agree with you. Tarantino is very, very, very, very, very, very over-rated. The only decent movies he’s made are Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Everything else is crap.
Tarantino is a ego-maniac who loves the sound of his own voice. It wouldn’t hurt my feeling one bit if he never made another film. He’s another director who should retire!!!
How the hell did he ever get to the point where he was considered the voice of 90’s cinema?
Go to Comment
Who do you think the most overrated director is? over 3 years ago
Instead of going for the most over-rated, it might be easier if the topic is simply over-rate directors. There are way too many in the game that get too much attention to just pick one.
Go to Comment
The most beautiful films? over 3 years ago
The films that have been mentioned so far are very good choices. Each of them exemplifies the art of film making in a different way. Some were beautifully directed, others have great cinematography and while others have excellent screenplays. It’s cool to see a wide range of choices.
Some my picks include:
Ugetsu. The cinematography and direction are superb. It is amazing how good the film looks even though it was released more than fifty years ago. The script was very well executed, too. Having a top notch director and an excellent screenwriter certainly did hurt this production.
Sancho the Bailiff. Another Mizoguchi masterpiece. The story that this film is based on is timeless. It seems as though the planets aligned when this one was made. The best director in Japan got his hand on one of the best scripts ever written and created a work of art. No film collection is complete without it.
Seven Samurai. This is one of the most beautifully directed ever made. Kurosawa was at the top of his game.
Before the Rain. The cinematography for this film is absolutely stunning. Some of the nighttime shots are astounding. The sky is the deepish blue imaginable. The cinematographer really gave the colorist something with which to work. This movie is one of the best from the 90’s. It was unfortunately overshadowed by Pulp Fiction.
Days of Heaven. Visually, this film is stunning.
Paris, Texas. Great story, awesome dialog, very good directing, beautiful from start to finish.
Spirit of the Beehive. Ana Torrent gave one of the best performances ever. This film has it all. Great acting, good direction, excellent screenplay and very good cinematography.
Henry V by Laurence Olivier. This is one of the most inspiring films ever made. Braveheart pales in comparison.
Henry V by Kenneth Branaugh. The soundtrack is totally awesome. The scene of the choir singing after the battle is one of the most memorable captured on film.
Pan’s Labyrinth. This film is a visual feast.
The Burmese Harp.
Bicycle Thieves. One of the most amazing films ever made.
Go to Comment
Is buying pirated DVDs justified - due to state censorship? cost of original DVDs? love of films? over 3 years ago
Pirating films is bad news. Many hard working people are not properly remunerated when movies are copied without permission. Not only that but, the quality of movies suffers at the hands of pirates.
I don’t agree with Josef K. at all. There are way too many properly released films that I haven’t seen yet to waste my on inferior bootlegs. I would much rather find a high quality DVD of a movie than watch a crappy copy of something that has gotten a proper release.
I don’t buy any of these justifications for ripping people off.
Go to Comment
New to The Auteurs? You Belong Here over 3 years ago
Hello, My name is Neal. I love films, I’m not a film student and have never been one. This is an awesome website. As usual the Criterion Collection gets things right.
Yes, it is very difficult to find people who enjoy good cinema. Average citizens flock to their local megaplexes and think that they are viewing the best that the industry has to offer. I guess that we, as real film lovers, are fortunate that we haven’t fallen into the Hollywood trap.
I am a huge fan of Japanese Cinema. Kurosawa, Ozu and Mizoguchi are some of favorite directors. They deal with some heavy and interesting subject matters. It is absolutely amazing how their work can linger in the consciousness for days. Seven Samurai, Sancho the Bailiff, Ugetsu, Ikiru and Early Summer are some the best films I’ve ever seen.
Anyway, that’s a rather short version of my story.
Go to Comment
God's Country over 3 years ago
Some of these posts are totally non sequitur. It’s good to have a sense of humor but, it’s much better if it has something to do with the subject at hand.
Go to Comment
Is buying pirated DVDs justified - due to state censorship? cost of original DVDs? love of films? over 3 years ago
Hey Kevin Salyers, it seems as though you’re the voice of reason here. Thank you for the link to avmaniacs.com.
Pirating of films just plain wrong. If a film doesn’t get an R1 release, I’m not going to waste my time looking for it. There so many good films that are available that I couldn’t possibly watch all in a single lifetime. I don’t understood the fixation with films that aren’t available in the U.S. We are so lucky to have the Criterion Collection. What could possibly be better than that?
Go to Comment
Is buying pirated DVDs justified - due to state censorship? cost of original DVDs? love of films? over 3 years ago
Slayare,
Remind me to never count you as a friend. Your point of view toward films is atrocious. How can you consider yourself a film lover with that mindset? You’re not even willing to see that the guy who toils behind the camera gets paid. How is he ever going to able continuing making films if he can even put food on his table? Because, if he doesn’t get paid enough times, he will eventually stop shooting films.
Go to Comment
Is buying pirated DVDs justified - due to state censorship? cost of original DVDs? love of films? over 3 years ago
Why don’t we all just bend our standards, pirate films and tell all movie makers that their efforts to put out quality products are a waste of time? It would simply make this whole argument pointless and everybody would be able to do whatever the hell they wanted to do. Boy, that really looks like a promising future.
We’ll just maintain we standard of decency as long it’s expedient for us. As for the film makers, that’s their problem. If they can’t distribute the films that we want to see, we’ll just undermine all of their hard work and have a ball doing it. Because, we’re going to watch what we want to watch when we want to watch it. The decision has been made and if you film makers don’t like it well, don’t shoot anymore films. In the end, it’s not going to matter because, we don’t need you, we can pirate films.
All of the justifications for pirating films only proves one thing, the society that we live in doesn’t think much of artists. I don’t understand it. We love the work that they do but, we don’t care if they get paid for doing it. Huh? That sounds pretty weird to me. WTF?
All of you pirates – thieves – out there, there are a lot people who are suffering because of your actions. Just remember that the next time you watch a film that you stole. Somebody didn’t get a paycheck because too many people didn’t pay for rights to watch that film. It’s much easier to access bittorrent than it is to wait for a proper – legal – release.
If you’ve ever wondered why movie tickets are so expensive, all of you pirates should take a look in the mirror. The production costs of movie making are soaring because the movie industry is constantly trying to recoup their losses. The actions of pirates are chewing up of profits – incentives for making more films – of producers, actors, directors, etc. So, the next time you have to pay $10 to watch a crappy
Adam Sander film, you can thank a pirate.
Go to Comment
Is buying pirated DVDs justified - due to state censorship? cost of original DVDs? love of films? over 3 years ago
And if production companies go out of business and some innocents suffer in the process, then to me it’s just a slightly different version of the Darwinism that die hard western market capitalists have been dishing out for the last half century or more with smug, self-satisfied expressions on their faces.
Maybe you’re right, the proliferation of piracy just might result a more widely spread availability of films. It still doesn’t mitigate the act of stealing intellectual properties. This whole argument isn’t at all about the evolution of the film industry. Look at the original question. IS BUYING PIRATED DVDS JUSTIFIED, ETC.?
If you can justify buying pirated DVDs, that’s your choice. However, many people are affected by your actions. Consumers pays higher prices for legitimate releases and production assistants see shrinking paychecks. When you start looking at an issue like this it is important to keep in mind the effect that it creates.
All of these arguments in favor of piracy are self-serving. It’s so much easier to justify the transgression than it is exercise a little discipline and restraint. The rule of the day is instant gratification and to heck with the consequences. If they don’t give me what I want I’m going to take it. How much more selfish can you get?
As far as I can see, the upshot is barbarism not innovation. All that the movie industry is trying to do now is protect what it already has, not create something new. In a lawless world like the internet the name of the game self-preservation. The movie studios are being spurred by duress not inspiration. How can that ever result in real advancement?
It is very easy to mistake technological advances as innovation. If a movie studio is better able to protect their intellectual properties they’ve really spent their time well. Now nobody can infringe on their rights to distribution and we’re all better off for it. Seems logical, I guess.
Wait a minute though, didn’t actors and directors originally go into the business to make movies? Rudolph Valentino didn’t say to his director, “Hey, why don’t we find a really good way the protect this movie so that nobody can steal it.” He said, “Hey, why don’t we make a really good movie that people will enjoy.” The impulse was to communication an idea that others could relate to through the use of motion pictures not to keep someone else from stealing a film.
Go to Comment
Is buying pirated DVDs justified - due to state censorship? cost of original DVDs? love of films? over 3 years ago
Bob Stutman:
What I love about the internet is the ability to see clips, trailers, complete movies, old films – all kinds of movies I can see and experience. I hope no one would want to take that away. So, let the new mediums flourish and let us hope the good companies embrace the exisiting potential. I believe we all must do our small bit to support those distributors and artists we believe in by buying and promoting their work whenever we can – within our budget, of course. Let’s continue to love and cherise films and the many and varied ways we can view them.
I agree with you 100%. Distributors like the Criterion Collection should definitely embrace new technology. As they improve on their ability to make films available everybody benefits.
Having content available on-line is a great tool. It’s very nice to able to log-in to The Auteurs to watch a film. Things of this nature are only going to improve the movie watching experience. I wish that there were more sites like this. It would be foolish to not utilize these new tools and technologies.
I don’t think that there’s anyone here who is not willing to embrace greater availability of content. Everyone who logs in to this website does so in the hope of finding out about films they haven’t seen before. I think that we are all clamoring for greater availability of quality cinema. We wouldn’t even be having this conversation if that wasn’t the case. This is one thing that each and every one of us, regardless of our stand on this issue, can agree upon.
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Is buying pirated DVDs justified - due to state censorship? cost of original DVDs? love of films? over 3 years ago
DCDREAMS:
iTunes sucks. If you like to download music go to Amiestreet.com. Their prices are much better and they at least have the decency to tell what the quality of the music is before you download it. I know it’s totally off of the subject but, you’ve mentioned iTunes a few times and I figured that would be a good opportunity to give you a heads up. Check it out, you might be surprised by what you find.
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Here it is... Top 10 films of all time? over 3 years ago
Hey man, I haven’t seen The Toxic Avenger mentioned.
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100 Greatest Films over 3 years ago
I am only including films which I have seen on this list. Next year I’m sure it will change. However, there a many films on this list which will always be included.
Top 100
1. Seven Samurai
2. Ugetsu
3. Raging Bull
4. Sansho the Bailiff
5. Rules of the Game
6. Bicycle Thieves
7. The Passion of Joan of Arc
8. The Battleship Potemkin
9. The Seventh Seal
10. La Strada
11. Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein
12. To Kill a Mocking Bird
13. Citizen Kane
14. 8 1/2
15. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
16. Army of Shadows
17. La Jetee
18. Woman in the Dunes
19. Days of Heaven
20. The Hidden Fortress
21. The Third Man
22. Killer of Sheep
23. No Country for Old Men
24. Stagecoach
25. Rashomon
26. Before the Rain
27. M
28. Snow White
29. The Leopard
30. Pandora’s Box
31. Schindler’s List
32. Ran
33. King Kong (1933)
34. Spirit of the Beehive
35. The Adventures of Robin Hood
36. Dr. Strangelove
37. The Burmese Harp
38. Planet of the Apes (Charlton Heston)
39. Stranger than Paradise
40. The Battle of Algiers
41. Ikiru
42. Star Wars (first film)
42. Pan’s Labyrinth
43. Wages of Fear
44. The Sting
45. The Fugitive (Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones)
46. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1955)
47. Eraserhead
48. Fargo
49. Lord of the Rings (Fellowship, Two Towers and Return of the King)
50. Henry V (Laurence Olivier)
51. La Bete Humaine
52. Maltese Falcon
53. Wings of Desire
54. Paris, Texas
55. Notorious
56. Harlan County, U.S.A.
57. A Hard Day’s Night
58. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
59. Alien
60. Yi Yi
61. Don’t Look Back
62. Young Mr. Lincoln
63. Halloween
64. The Vanishing
65. 400 Blows
66. Brazil
67. The Gods Must Be Crazy
68. Henry V (Kenneth Branagh)
69. Naked
70. Toy Story
71. The Last Waltz
72. Cool Hand Luke
73. A Clockwork Orange
74. Grapes of Wrath
75. Dracula (Bela Lugosi)
76. In Cold Blood
77. Alphaville
78. City of God
79. Network
80. Rocky (first film)
81. Koyaanisqatsi
82. The Fog of War
83. Last Stand of the 300 (History Channel documentary)
84. Slacker
85. Hiroshima Mon Amour
86. 2001 A Space Odyssey
87. House of Games
88. Dog Day Afternoon
89. All the President’s Men
90. Million Dollar Baby
91. Se7en
92. Enter the Dragon
93. Onibaba
94. Rififi
95. Ivan’s Childhood
96. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
97. A Shot in the Dark
98. Robocop
99. The 39 Steps
100. Mon Oncle
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Best shot movie(s) and its cinematographer over 3 years ago
Spirit of the Beehive – Luis Cuadrado
Before the Rain – Manuel Teran
Seven Samurai – Asakazu Nakai
The Third Man – Robert Krasker
Days of Heaven – Nester Almendros
Sansho the Bailiff – Kazuo Miyagawa
Paris, Texas – Robert Muller
Wings of Desire – Henri Alekan
Battle of Algiers- Marcello Gatti
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List the most exemplary acting performance(s) over 3 years ago
Marlon Brando – On the Waterfront
Peter Sellers – Dr. Strangelove
Gena Rowlands – A Woman Under the Influence
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
Harry Dean Stanton – Paris, Texas
Robert Deniro – Raging Bull
Toshiro Mifune – Seven Samurai
Renée Falconetti – The Passion of Joan of Arc
Brock Peters – To Kill a Mocking Bird
Ana Torrent – Spirit of the Beehive
Pete Lorre – M
Laurence Olivier – Hamlet and Henry V
Anthony Quinn and Giulietta Masina – La Strada
Tatsuya Nakadai – Ran
Henry Fonda – Grapes of Wrath
Louise Brooks – Pandora’s Box
Samuel L. Jackson – Pulp Fiction
Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann – Persona
Machiko Kyo – Ugetsu
Sean Penn and Tim Robbins – Mystic River
Claude Rains – The Invisible Man
Kyoko Kagawa – Sansho the Bailiff
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Capote
Kenneth Branagh – Henry V
Christopher Walken – The Deer Hunter
Michael Caine – Children of Men
Michel Simon – Boudu Saved from Drowning
Peter Greene – Clean, Shaven
Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men
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the Cutest Thing about the Internet is that Everyone Thinks Their Opinion Matters about 3 years ago
This thread got dumped into the crapper in a hurry. It’s unfortunate that opinions don’t matter anymore. So, I guess that this is nothing but an exercise in futility. But, I’m going to step out an a limb anyway. It was inevitable, with all the cynicism, sarcasm and irony in the world I should have seen it coming. It has become nearly impossible to form a clear thought, let alone articulate it.
In spite of any ideas to the contrary, the sun will rise in the morning to another day and there will still be an infinity of opinions to shape that moment. No matter how meaningless those concepts are. But, wait a minute, I just made a meaningful statement. How silly of me, I must have over-stepped my bounds because, no one has ever has ever impacted culture with a thought – not Bergman, not Kurosawa, not Lennon, not McCartney, not Mozart, not Beethoven, not Captain Kangaroo. There never was an purpose to the consciousness to which we were so humbly bestowed. Yes, I’m just a cynical A**HOLE like anyone else.
That said, just remember one thing, you are the bearer of all that shapes your perceptions, and thus, quality of life. If you are not willing to grant another the latitude needed to form thoughts and ideas, you have chosen to diminish your own effectiveness as a human being. I contend that you are responsible for your own misery. So, the next time you have a hard time getting your point across, take a good look in the mirror.
No, I’m not an existentialist, that ilk has never had anything decent to say about anyone.
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the Cutest Thing about the Internet is that Everyone Thinks Their Opinion Matters about 3 years ago
My whole point was to get at least one person to realize that their opinion does matter. Sometimes it takes a little jolt.
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the Cutest Thing about the Internet is that Everyone Thinks Their Opinion Matters about 3 years ago
While Shotzi says this thread is lame he says absolutely nothing else. He must not have an opinion at all, LOL. Now that’s deep, saying something without saying anything at all. Bravo!!!
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the Cutest Thing about the Internet is that Everyone Thinks Their Opinion Matters about 3 years ago
If opinions don’t matter, why are you here in this forum? Why are slinging you crap all over the place? Obviously what I wrote had an impact on you. It turning you into a raving lunatic. You took everything that I said personally. I simply made a rather meaning statement and said so in my original post. You on the other hand continue to say absolutely nothing.
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the Cutest Thing about the Internet is that Everyone Thinks Their Opinion Matters about 3 years ago
Shotzi,
If I haven’t said anything interesting, then why are you dissecting every minute detail?
As for the mockery, every one of your posts have been couched in a scornful tone. If there is anyone here being condescending, it is you. And yes, you have been mocked. Thoroughly, I might add.
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the Cutest Thing about the Internet is that Everyone Thinks Their Opinion Matters about 3 years ago
Aaron Delgado,
Thank you for putting up a decent post. I agree with you 100%. The internet can be a very powerful communication tool. Most of us are here because we value the opinions of others and take comfort in the community that this forum provides.
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Last movie you saw and rate it almost 3 years ago
Terminator Salvation – 4/10. The beginning was decent but, the middle and the end were absolutely atrocious. The plot has as many holes as a chunk of Swiss cheese. Do not waste your money on this stupid film. It is probably worse than Terminator 3. Hollywood needs to put this franchise to rest.
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