From: jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com (Jim Mann)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies
Subject: Re: Top Five Movies of All Time
Date: 15 Dec 1992 18:26:22 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer Inc, Marlboro MA
Reply-To: jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: gondolin.pubs.stratus.com

In article <4421@cvbnetPrime.COM> csroc@dime.prime.com (Charles  
Sroczynski x4014 5-2) writes:
> In article <1g4t88INN9ri@transfer.stratus.com>  
jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com writes:
> >In article <1992Dec6.072108.3580@vlsi.polymtl.ca> d40937@aiken  
(Jean  
> >Yves Desbiens) writes:
> >> Dan Welch (dwelch@mpd.tandem.com) wrote:
> >> : I seriously hope that the lists in this thread represent  
personal  
> >favorites,
> >> : and not what people actually consider to be the five *best*  
> >movies of all time!
> >
> >That's not the point the previous poster was trying to make.
> >The movies that I consider my favorites aren't necessarily the
> >ones I think are the "best."  Sometime they coincide (like
> >Seven Samurai, which is probably my favorite movie, and one
> >of the best ever made), sometimes they don't (like Forbidden
> >Planet, which is one of my favorite movies, but, while it
> >may at times be on my "10 Favorites List," certainly wouldn't be
> >on any list I'd make of 10 BEST).
> 
> 
> 
> It sounds like you have a favorite
> (ie. a movie YOU like best) but
> would not put it on the list
> of 10BEST....WHY NOT???????????????

Easy. The movie has a number of flaws: stilted dialgue,
mediochre acting, etc.  It isn't in the same league as 
Citizen Kane or Seven Samarai.  However, this doesn't mean that
I don't like it.  I do. Despite its flaws, I've watched it
a number of times and enjoyed it a lot.
> 
> Are you ashamed to put it on the list?
> Just because others don't think its
> one of the BEST, doesn't mean that you have
> to feel the same way. 

No, I don't feel that it's one of the best.

 Have some confidence
> in yourself and your feelings; have courage;
> stand up for what you believe in;  seize
> the moment; do something extraordinary; don't
> be so easily pushed around by others.  

I'm so glad that you think you know me well enough that, based
on a very short post, you think I can easily be pushed around or
that I'm afraid to express an opinion.  (Boy, the folks around here
would get a nice chuckle if they read THAT one.)  How about this:
are YOU afraid to admit that one of the movies that are your
personal favorites is NOT one of the best of all time?  Are you
afraid to admit that you really enjoy watching something that you
know is not all that great?  

If you
> make a list with Casablanca and Citizen Cane and 
> The Seven Samurai and 2001 and L of A, etc
> you cannot ever be wrong in the minds of others, yet
> if you pick them because others pick them, you are
> being dishonest to yourself.

But I'm not picking them because others pick them: I'm picking
them because they have the qualities that I think make a great
film: good writing, acting, script, pacing, art direction, 
cinematography, music, and so on.  A movie can't be great
without these (with rare exceptions: 2001 is a great movie
despite the so-so acting). That doesn't mean a movie can't
be fun without some of these, and I like a number of movies that
are deficient in several of the above categories. 

--
Jim Mann            
Stratus Computer   jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com