These are all the films I saw at the movies this summer from best to worst.
1) (500) Days of Summer (Marc Webb) 9.5
2) Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino) 9.4
3) The Hangover (Todd Phillips) 8.7
4) Bruno (Larry Charles) 8.3
5) Funny People (Judd Apatow) 7.3
6) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Michael Bay) 4.3
Chris
http://www.akpress.org/2005/topics/Anarchism
CHECK IT OUT! Perhaps the greatest source for Anarchism and related subversion/dissidence. You can find just about anything, from Chomsky to Punk Rock. They have the Rage Against the Machine endorsement. Do iT!
…. I wish they didn’t charge money for incendiary material. That’s for the companies to do, while the artists merely accept money as a means of survival, but through their social commentary they fight Capitalism within Capitalism….. I guess.
Chris
I say ABSOLUTE because I’m only listing the top 101, which does not encompass all my favorites, but these are the ones I really, really love! Note: no documentaries or films that claim to be.
101) Lik Wong aka The Story of Riki-Oh (Ngai Kai Lam) 1991
100) Show Your Love (Edward J. Bruno)- 1983
99) A Christmas Story (Bob Clark)- 1983
98) Animal House (John Landis)- 1978
97) Vacation (Harold Ramis)- 1983
96) Ocean’s 11 (Steven Soderburgh)- 2001
95) Happiness (Todd Solantz)- 1998
94) Sixteen Candles (John Hughes)-1984
93) South Park Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (Trey Parker)- 1999
92) Slacker (Richard Linklater)- 1991
91) Pink Flamingos (John Waters)- 1972)
90) Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas (Terry Gilliam)- 1998
89) Batman (Tim Burton)- 1989
88) Office Space (Mike Judge)- 1999
87) Dogma (Kevin Smith)- 1999
86) Mallrats (Kevin Smith)- 1995)
85) American Graffiti (George Lucas)- 1973)
84) One Hour Photo (Mark Romanek)- 2002
83) Butterfly Effect (Eric Bress and J. Mackye Grubber)- 2004
82) Fast Times At Ridgemont High (Amy Heckerling)- 1982
81) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (John Hughes)- 1986
80) The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont)- 1994
79) Star Wars Episode XI: Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand)- 1983
78) The Exorcist (William Friedkin)- 1973
77) Halloween (John Carpenter)- 1978
76) Carrie (Brian De Palma)- 1976
75) Rocky (John G. Avildsen)- 1976
74) Big Fish (Tim Burton)- 2003
73) Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (Tim Burton)- 1985
72) Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg)- 1981
71) Memento (Christopher Nolan)- 2000
70) The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky)- 2008
69) Milk (Gus Van Sant)- 2008
68) Rock and Roll High School (Allan Arkush)- 1979
67) The Sixth Sense (M. Night Shamylan)- 1999
66) Toy Story (John Lasseter)- 1995
65) High Fidelity (Stephen Frears)- 2000
64) The Breakfast Club (John Hughes)- 1985
63) JFK (Oliver Stone)- 1991
62) Malcolm X (Spike Lee)- 1992
61) Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn)- 1967
60) 12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet)- 1957
59) Thank You For Smoking (Jason Reitman)- 2005
58) Sin City (Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez)- 2005
57) Blue Velvet (David Lynch)- 1986
56) Se7en (David Fincher)- 1995
55) Born On the Fourth of July (Oliver Stone)- 1989
54) Mystic River (Clint Eastwood)- 2003
53) The Shining (Stanley Kubrick)-1980
52) The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson)- 2001
51) The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola)- 1974
50) Kids (Larry Clark)- 1995
49) Walk the Line (James Mangold)- 2005
48) American Psycho (Mary Harron)- 2000
47) The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan)- 2008
46) Jaws (Steven Spielberg)- 1975
45) Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton)- 1990
44) The Doors (Oliver Stone)- 1991
43) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry)- 2004
42) The Terminator (James Cameron)- 1984
41) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron)- 1991
40) Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)- 2009
39) Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (Quentin Tarantino)- 2003 and 2004
38) Requiem For a Dream (Darren Aronofsky)- 2000
37) Detroit Rock City (Adam Rifkin)- 1999
36) The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme)- 1991
35) Chasing Amy (Kevin Smith)- 1997
34) Clerks II (Kevin Smith)- 2006
33) Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone)- 1994
32) The Graduate (Mike Nichols)- 1967
31) American Beauty (Sam Mendes)- 1999
30) The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming)- 1939
29) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Mel Stuart)- 1971
28) Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kirshner)- 1980
27) Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock)- 1960
26) Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis)- 1994
25) Stand By Me (Rob Reiner)- 1986
24) A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick)- 1971
23) It’s A Wonderful Life (Frank Capra)- 1946
22) Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee)- 1989
21) Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly)- 2001
20) Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe)- 2000
19) Juno (Jason Reitman)- 2007
18) Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant)- 1997
17) (500) Days of Summer (Marc Webb)- 2009
16) Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson)- 1997
15) Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis)- 1985
14) E.T. (Steven Spielberg)- 1982
13) Star Wars (George Lucas)- 1977
12) Trainspotting (Danny Boyle)-1996
11) Goodfellas (Martin Scorcesse)- 1990
10) Taxi Driver (Martin Scorcesse)- 1876
9) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Milos Forman)- 1975
8) Garden State (Zach Braff)- 2004
7) American History X (Tony Kaye)- 1998
6) Fight Club (David Fincher)- 1999
5) The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola)- 1972
4) Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino)- 1992
3) Clerks (Kevin Smith)- 1993
2) Dazed and Confused (Richard Linklater)- 1993
1) Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino)- 1994!!!!
Chris
Melvins- Honey Bucket (1993)
Primus- Too Many Puppies (1990)
Sepultura- Refuse/Resist (1993)
MDC- Chicken Hawk (1984)
Chris
Starting with this post I’m doing something different with my lists. I will list them off in the opposite direction, working our way down to number 1! Ahh, the anticipation.
40) Grindhouse (2007)
39) Cruel Intentions (1998)
38) Pink Flamingos (1972)
37) Requiem For a Dream (2000)
36) Reservoir Dogs (1992)
35) American Beauty (1999)
34) A Clockwork Orange (1971)
33) V For Vendetta (2006)
32) The Godfather (1972)
31) The Wedding Singer (1997)
30) Donnie Darko (2001)
29) Clerks II (2006)
28) Natural Born Killers (1994)
27) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
26) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2001)
25) 500 Days of Summer (2009)
24) Animal House (1978)
23) High Fidelity (2000)
22) Willy Wonka (1971)
21) Wizard of Oz (1939)
20) South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (1999)
19) Stand By Me (1986)
18) Goodfellas (1990)
17) Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
16) Do the Right Thing (1989)
15) Detroit Rock City (1999)
14) The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
13) American Graffiti (1973)
12) Almost Famous (2000)
11) Trainspotting (1996)
10) Good Will Hunting (1998)
9) The Graduate (1967)
8) Rock and Roll High School (1979)
7) The Wall (1979)
6) Pulp Fiction (1994)
5) Garden State (2004)
4) Dazed and Confused (1993)
3) Juno (2007)
2) Forrest Gump (1994)
1) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)!!!
Chris
I love his enthusiasm. He could make a movie about the lives of McDonalds employees and I’d see it. I seriously doubt he would do that though haha. He seriously makes me appreciate Unbreakable more though. I’ve seen 9 out of the 20 and I’m familiar with most. I’ve had Audition on my never ending list of movies to see for so long! Dazed and Confused(2), Fight Club(6), and Boogie Nights (16)appear on my top 20 list as well. He hit the nail on the head on Dazed, but I can’t imagine going a few years without watching it! I used to watch it once a month!
P.S. It’s FRIDAY Quentin!
Chris
Artist: Jay Reatard
Title: Matador Singles ’08
Year: 2008
1) See/Saw– 10- My personal favorite from Jay Reatard. It’s heavy, catchy, funny, surely one to get stuck in your head! To me, it exemplifies everything great about Jay’s music. He creeps me out, but he creeps me in again.
2) Screaming Hand– 9.8- A nice tale about the young Reatard singer and how he was different from everyone else and started his band. I love the “You are my hero” and “oh No No No.” Extremely catchy. I find that SH goes well following See/Saw.
3) Painted Shut– 9.5- Simply Classic Reatard
4) An Ugly Death– 10- I try to avoid giving out more than one 10 on any album, but this definitely deserves it! I think this was the first Jay song I came across and it is very powerful to say the least. I love the epic guitar opener; it just makes my ears anticipate what will happen next. Even after listening to the tune a ludicrous amount of times, I still can’t get over those powerful, yet simple chords. When I’m shuffling songs and AUD pops up on my ipod, I can never muster the will to turn it down. My actual favorite part of the song is the “for you, for me, for all to see” the vocals and guitar are just perfect. I also dig the ominous lyrics meshed with the upbeat music.
5) Always Wanting More– 8.8- One of my least favorites on this compilation, but nonetheless a hooky and genuinely decent tune.
6) You Mean Nothing to Me– 9.0- Typical Reatard. It gets stuck in my dome from time to time. In terms of lyrics, People being meaningless to Jay seems to be a recurring theme.
7) Fluorescent Grey– 9.2- This is a Deerhunter cover. Having never heard the original, I don’t know how it holds up, but I enjoy it very much. Giving the nature of Deerhunter’s music, this one is a bit softer and more experimental than previous Reatard singles/songs, lacking the familiar chainsaw guitars and pop hooks. It works though and foreshadows future Reatard talents.
8) Trapped Here– 9.6- Haha, I always find myself laughing at Jay’s disturbing, malicious lyrics! Violence, particularly one villain torturing his victim and remind them that they can’t escape and that they will soon parish is a frequent theme in the long haired punk’s lyrics. Memorable lyrics include “Relax, Relax, Relax, my little victim” and “You have nowhere to hide and you have everywhere to die.” Haha, the music itself, menacing, perfectly compliments the creepy lyrics.
9) Hiding Hole– 9.4- Another signature Reatard tune. Extremely, catchy, loud, fast guitars, fast, shouted vocals.
10) DOA– 9.8- One of the more popular singles and it’s certainly easy to see why. One of the heavier and yet absolutely endearing songs from this album. It includes perhaps the best example of the classic Reatard technique of slowing down the guitars and drums and simply shouting one line over and over again till its burned into your brain. In this case “It’s No Fun! It’s No Fun! It’s No Fun!” for whoever is dying on arrival haha.
11) No Time– 10- Once again, a rare 10! I love this song so much! Completely Unreatard. One (you’ll see) of the softest Jay songs I have ever heard. When I first heard this I was confused, I thought I may have put on a different artist. In this number, we see a gentle Jay (it sounds so strange) expressing his deepest emotions. “It seems I never have the time to make my mind feel fine,” Jay’s best lyrics and one of the best lines I ever heard period!
12) You Were Sleeping– 9.8- It gets even stranger! I can picture this and the former pissing some Reatard fans off. Especially some serious Blood Visions motherfuckers. Most of the previous statements I made about “No Time” apply here. It’s a sensitive song, I couldn’t even imagine Jay playing live when I saw him.
13) I’m Watching You– 9.7- A fabulous closer to a fabulous record! Softer than most Reatard songs, but heavier than the previous two. Unlike the other two though, it’s an upbeat single, but it’s similar to them in the sense that they all violate the typical Reatard format. I always smirk whenever I hear the line “You see, to me, you always were a cunt.” Haha. This is much better than the Watch Me Fall version in my opinion.
Grade: A:One of the best albums (though it’s technically just a compilation of singles) I’ve ever heard and certainly of the past few years. Probably the best from 2008. Jay and the gang bring their roaring flying Vs with them from Blood Visions and Singles ’06- ’07 and mash them up with more pop and delve into previously unknown or unforeseen territories! Foreshadowing their next effort, Watch Me Fall. There’s a notable progression that is perfectly displayed here.
Chris
Artist: Jay Reatard
Title: Blood Visions
Year: 2006
1) Blood Visions– 9.5- Perfect opener: loud, fast, simple catchy, a great foreshadow to everything else Jay would later do on this album and beyond.
2) Greed, Money, Useless Children– 9.2- Quick, little catchy number. Employs the classic Reatard pop technique of slowing down the guitars and drums and simply shouting one line repeatedly, in this case- “Greed, Money, Useless Children.” It is clearly effective and we see this over and over again.
3) It’s So Easy– 9.7- Lyrically this is classic Reatard. Apathetic… to the point of not caring when your friends die haha.
4) My Shadow– 10! Arguably the band’s greatest offering (actually “See/Saw” is my favorite!) or at least a major fan favorite. And it’s not hard to see why. The song begins with simple and slow, but menacing guitars then erupts into a heavy motherfucker with Reatard hollering MY SHADOW at the top of his lungs! The best track on this album by far.
5) My Family– 9.2- Funky guitars, spooky/disturbing lyrics, it works for me! Displays Jay’s bizarre interaction with the other humans or “assholes” haha in his life. This theme continues on this album and throughout his current discography.
6) Death Is Forming– 9.0- The classic Reatard technique is exemplified on this track. See #2 I dig how he evolves “Death is Forming” into “Forming Death” haha.
7) Oh It’s Such A Shame– 8.5- Decent, nothing wrong with it, but for some reason, just doesn’t stand out.
8) Not A Substitute– 8.8- Another typical Reatard track…. actually a bit shorter, but it works here.
9) Nightmares– 9.5- Excellent Pop song, sounds more like a track off Matador Singles ’08 or Watch Me Fall. Fabulous love/hate song. The lover Jay speaks of causes him to have horrible nightmares, yet he keeps “Searching” for her. Good Stuff
10) I See You Standing There– 9.0- Jay Stalker haha. Just listen to the lyrics to understand what I’m saying. Musically, very catchy and endearing. I especially love the final line, which is shouted extremely fast: “DON’T MOVE!” ahaha.
11) We Who Wait– 9.0- Great sing along. You could march this one haha. Once again we see lyrics containing themes of isolation and generally misanthropic thoughts.
12) Fading All Away– 9.9- Amazing! Hilariously savage. Lyrically this is a extremely malevolent tune about an apparently psychopathic/sociopathic/schizophrenic miscreant who will go to no end to kill his victim because of “the voices in my head.”
13) Turning Blue– 8.2- Eh, it’s a decent track, but comparatively it’s just ok. For some reason it doesn’t do all that much for me.
14) Puppet Man– 9.2- Cool, catchy, funny, somewhat short.
15) Waiting For Something– 9.9- Sums up Jay’s outlook on the people around him and his situation at the time. Waiting for something bigger to happen and get away from all the "creeps" surrounding him. Perfect title for the brief documentary on him, which I advise all fans to check out!
Grade: A: A fantastic example of modern punk music with undeniable pop hooks and elements of noise rock. One can hear glimpses of the incredible (noisy) pop Jay and his crew unleash in their future material.
Chris
1) Quentin Tarantino- Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill Vol.1 (2003), Kill Bill Vol.2 (2004), and Death Proof (2007)
2) Steven Spielberg- Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. (1982), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Hook (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler’s List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998)
3) Stanley Kubrick- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987)
4) David Lynch- Eraser (1977), Blue Velvet (1986)
5) Martin Scorsese- Taxi Driver (1976), The Last Waltz (1978), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), Gangs of New York (2002), No Direction Home (2005)
6) Francis Ford Coppola- The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), Apocalypse Now (1979)
7) Richard Linklater- Slacker (1991), Dazed and Confused (1993), The School of Rock (2003),
8) Kevin Smith- Clerks (1994), Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
9) Spike Lee- Do The Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992)
10) David Fincher- Se7en (1995), Fight Club (1999)
11) Danny Boyle- Trainspotting (1996), 28 Days Later (2002), Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
12) Gus Van Sant- Good Will Hunting (1997), Elephant (2003), Milk (2008)
13) Christopher Nolan- Memento (2000), Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008)
14) John Waters- Pink Flamingos (1972), Serial Mom (1995)
15) Cameron Crowe- Almost Famous (2000)
16) Frank Capra- It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
17) Alfred Hitchcock- Psycho (1960)
18) Brian De Palma- Carrie (1976), Scarface (1983)
19) Oliver Stone- Platoon (1986), Born On the Fourth of July (1989), JFK (1991), The Doors (1991), Natural Born Killers (1994)
20) Paul Thomas Anderson- Boogie Nights (1997)
21) The Coen Brothers- Raising Arizona (1987), Miller’s Crossing (1990), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
22) Darren Aronofsky- Pi (1997), Requiem For A Dream (2000), The Wrestler (2008)
23) Jason Reitman- Thank You For Smoking (2005), Juno (2007)
24) Sam Raimi- Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), Army of Darkness (1993), Spiderman (2002, Spiderman 2 (2004), Spiderman 3 (2007)
25) Robert Zemeckis- Back To the Future (1985), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Forrest Gump (1994), Cast Away (2000)
26) Mark Romanek- One Hour Photo (2002)
27) Rob Reiner- This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Stand By Me (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), Misery (1990)
28) Milos Forman- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Amadeus (1984), The People vs, Larry Flynt (1996), Man On the Moon (1999)
29) John Hughes- Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), Weird Science (1985) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987), Uncle Buck (1989)
30) George Lucas- American Graffiti (1973), Star Wars (1977), Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
31) Sidney Lumet- 12 Angry Men (1957)
32) Mike Nichols- The Graduate (1967)
33) Sam Mendes- American Beauty (1999)
34) John Carpenter- Halloween (1978), The Thing (1982)
35) James Mangold- Girl, Interrupted (1999), Walk the Line (2005)
36) Steven Soderbergh- Erin Brockovich (2000), Ocean’s 11 (2001),
37) Bryan Singer- The Usual Suspects (1995), X-Men (2000), X2 (2003)
38) Judd Apatow- The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Funny People (2009)
39) Todd Phillips- Hated (1994), Road Trip (2000), Old School (2002)
40) Michael Moore- Roger and Me (1989), Bowling For Columbine (2002), Sicko (2007)
41) Michel Gondry- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
42) Wes Anderson- The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
43) James Cameron- Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
44) Tony Kaye- American History X (1998)
45) Zach Braff- Garden State (2004)
46) Robert Rodriguez- Desperado (1995), Sin City (2005), Planet Terror (2007)
47) Tim Burton- Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985), Beetle Juice (1989), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Big Fish (2003)
48) Amy Heckerling- Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)
49) Larry Clark- Kids (1995)
50) Mary Harron- American Psycho (1998)
51) Richard Kelly- Donnie Darko (2001)
52) M. Night Shamylan- The Sixth Sense (1999), Signs (2002)
53) Kevin Booth- American Drug War (2007)
Eh, probably others lol.
Chris
Gaye Blades- Bobby Is A Lover (2008)
Shellac- My Black Ass (1994)
The Warlocks- Shake the Dope Out (2002)
MC5- Ramblin’ Rose (1969) starts about 53 seconds into video
Necro- Your Fuckin’ Head Split (2000)
Enjoy!
Chris
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 