"Perfect" movies

[MineralMan]

My wife and I have a list of what we call "perfect" movies. The criteria are simple, but all must be met:

1. The movie has to be self-contained and without glaring inconsistencies.
2. The movie must be properly cast, meaning that no actor seems out of place.
3. The movie must track well, without unnecessary puzzling turns, unless that is the point.
4. Dialogue must be appropriate to the film.
5. The score must enhance the film but not be intrusive, unless the score is the point.
6. Camera work and editing must enhance the film, but not be intrusive, unless that is the point.
5. The film need not be a box-office hit, nor even very good, as long as it meets all the criteria.

Here's a short, but not complete, list of "perfect" movies on our list. See if you agree, and please add your own and discuss. Note: These are in no particular order:

Clueless
Slackers
Chasing Amy
A Christmas Story
The Great Escape
The Guns of Navaronne
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai across The Eighth Dimension
Star Wars (the first released movie)
2001: A Space Oddysey
Oscar and Lucinda
The Piano Movers
Zabriskie Point
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf

I'll stop there.

[InternalDialogue]

1. I've never thought in those terms, but it's an interesting exercise.

I guess I'd include Midnight Express on the list. Maybe Frankie and Johnny as well.

[MineralMan]

3. Yes.

Midnight Express is on our list, as well.

[jobycom]

2. Unforgiven, Lone Star, The Princess Bride, Shakespeare in Love. Fight Club.

Those are the ones I usually consider "perfect," using my own standards, which are similar to yours, except I place an emphasis on the whole as a accomplishing the goal of the directors and writers in a way that moves or motivates the audience exactly as planned. In other words, the entire film has to work towards creating exactly the effect it creates.

[MineralMan]

4. I like the way you put that, and I think it's unspokenly

part of our criteria. It is part of the reason that a film that may not actually be that good, overall, can still be a "perfect" film.

I like your choices, too. Most people will not see "Princess Bride" in the category, although I would put it in the list, along with "Clueless." A couple of yours I haven't seen, but shall.

[MorningGlow]

14. Another vote for Shakespeare in Love

I thought I'd hate it (messing with the legend that is Shakespeare?! blasphemy for a literature major!), but it turned out to be one of my favorite movies ever. I'd classify a "perfect" movie as one that makes me sit back and grin at the end; I feel wholly satisfied by it.

I'd also vote for Raiders of the Lost Ark (just rewatched that with MG Jr.--I had forgotten how good it is), The Dark Crystal, Groundhog Day (yeah, some people would dispute that)...others I'm sure...

Oh--and I need to throw in the miniseries Pride and Prejudice. I can't get enough of it--it's just...well...perfect! :D

[driver8]

44. "Unforgiven" is an amazing movie...

Princess Bride and Fight Club are good choices, too.

[WildEyedLiberal]

78. Another vote for Unforgiven

One of the best movies ever.

[Paladin]

96. If There Was An Award For Best Ending Line......

...."Lone Star" would win it hands down, as far as I'm concerned. (Probably comes from my being a liberal 5th generation Texan)......

[jobycom]

100. I say that to anyone who will listen! Post it here all the time!

:thumbsup:

[Paladin]

109. And I've Got Relatives.....

....who are members of the Daughters of the Texas Revolution---they're the gals who preside over the Alamo, day to day. I doubt they'd enjoy that final line of "Lone Star" as much as I do......

[underpants]

117. Only flaw in Princess Bride is in the sword fight

the one on top of the mountain

When Black Pirate Roberts lands after flipping around on the bar you can see the pad Cary Elwes lands on-that is the only flaw in the entire movie

[InternalDialogue]

5. Kind of a quick question on the side:

When you watch a movie for the first time, do you ever consciously start forming an opinion of it as "perfect"? Or is that something that you realize afterward and then watch a second time to sort of sift through the details?

Just curious.

[MineralMan]

7. For me, it often strikes me

not long after seeing the movie. Generally, I try to see all of the ones on the list more than once. Some I've seen several times.

However, in the case of films that become dated for some reason, I eventually stop watching them. I suppose that may take them out of the list, but I'm not sure, yet.

[MineralMan]

12. Sometimes, it's clear immediately...

Oscar and Lucinda is a good example. Not only is the movie "perfect," Cate Blanchett was visibly a huge talent. Few people saw the movie, but her performance was one of those true breakouts. I remember clearly telling my wife that I thought she would be a great star as we walked out of the theater. She scoffed, since I have a definite "thing" for redheads with unusual faces.

And, indeed, she has become that.

On the other hand, I thought that Molly Ringwald would do very well. To my disappointment, she didn't grow.

Red hair doesn't always work out.

[jobycom]

13. To jump in on a good question

I do label movies "perfect" in much the same way the OP does, and I don't really think about it consciously as I watch a film. I usually get the impression after the final scene, when I've seen how it all ties together, and feel how it affected me. It's too easy for a movie to have well-made scenes, given the slick formulaic structure of many films, and yet not really do anything earth-shaking overall. The sum of the parts being less than the whole, and all that. When I watch a film, I just immerse myself in the emotion of the film, and if it keeps me all the way through, then I form an opinion. Of course, a film can lose me well before the end, but it can't really win me until the end.

Just my input.

[InternalDialogue]

47. I kind of had that feeling from "Constant Gardener"

I knew a bit about the film before seeing it, but as it went I appreciated the structure and the timing of the scenes, how the larger picture was being pieced together slowly throughout the film.

At the end, I had a lot of respect for a filmmaker who understands the story from the viewer's perspective and gives you just enough as it goes to never let you off the hook but never reveal too much too soon.

I knew I liked that film as it played out, but it wasn't until the final ten minutes that I placed it in the "great" category for the way it had a self-awareness, that films aren't just the story they tell but the way they tell it.

[jobycom]

53. Underrated film.

I loved the pacing of the film, too. It took its time, let you feel and understand the situation so that you had an intellectual as well as a visceral reaction by the end, rather than just using the premise as a device to justify chase scenes and shootouts.

[Beausoleil]

6. Catch-22

Casablanca
Citizen Kane

And just to prove that I don't think the best movies all start with the letter "C":

Dr. Strangelove

[MineralMan]

8. All Excellent selections...

[MineralMan]

9. I'll add "The Sting," and "Cool Hand Luke" to my list.

There are so many...

By the way, my wife disagrees violently with my choice of "The Great Escape," which she thinks is too long for itself. Hmph!

We're still debating "Juno."

[Beausoleil]

11. The first time I saw "The Great Escape"

was when I was a kid, with my parents at the drive-in as a double feature. The other feature was "A Hard Day's Night", another excellent movie, IMO, maybe not perfect because of the weak plot.

[Rambis]

10. State of Grace

I watched it again yesterday-
Sean Penn, Robin Wright, Gary Oldman was fantastic-

[RagAss]

75. That film is a hidden gem !

[begin_within]

15. Here...

1. Tokyo Story (1953) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046438/
2. The Bicycle Thief (1948) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040522/
3a. Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060138/
3b. A Man Escaped (1956) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049902/
4. Soy Cuba (1964) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058604/
5. Psycho (1960) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/
6. Salt of the Earth (1954) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047443/
7. Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059170/
8. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/
9. Five Easy Pieces (1970) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065724/
10. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056687/
11. Harold and Maude (1971) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067185/
12. Contact (1997) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118884/

[MineralMan]

17. Several on that list I haven't seen...off to NetFlix...

I have to take exception, though, with Contact. I thought Jody Foster was a casting error in that film.

Thank you for mentioning Harold and Maude, though.

[begin_within]

32. You're right...

Jodie Foster was partially miscast. She played the astronomer role perfectly. But as a love thing between her and Matthew McConaughey, there was absolutely NO chemistry. Less than none. They should have gotten brave and just made the astronomer have a female love interest.

[begin_within]

34. Also "El Norte" (1983)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085482/

[leftyclimber]

43. Another vote for El Norte.

That movie knocked me on my a**.

Also: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Lawrence of Arabia, Black Rain, Gone With the Wind, Magnolia, Night on Earth, and To Live.

I'm sure I could think of more.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

16. maybe

Out Of Africa
Jeremiah Johnson
The Sting
Dances With Wolves

:shrug:

[MineralMan]

18. Four good ones.

Not every film is "perfect" for everyone. I'm sure each person will have a unique list.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

21. oh....My list

what fun :bounce:

not to say that I disagree with others listed on here. I haven't seen all of them but, of the ones I have seen I have to agree with them.

Shakespeare In Love :thumbsup:

Almost Famous was well done, too. (I thought)

[MineralMan]

27. Almost Famous...

Not a perfect movie, I think, but tons of fun. Kate Hudson will probably never be cast as well as she was in that movie. In fact, Kate Hudson may only have been cast well in this movie. I loved Frances McDormand in this.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

29. okay...curious as to why it does not meet your criteria?

the music? the casting? :shrug:

Braveheart
Gladiator
Fried Green Tomatoes
Gone With The Wind:yoiks:

[MineralMan]

31. I'm not quite sure...

I need to see it again, I think. I had a little problem with casting Anna Paquin there. But, then, I have a little problem with casting her in anything. But...I'll revisit it.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

36. interesting...She did not bother me in Almost Famous and I think

The Piano might meet criteria.

[MineralMan]

39. Yah...maybe the Piano...

maybe. Sorry, but Anna Paquin sets my teeth on edge. Can't say why, exactly. It's not the precocity, since I have no problem with other precocious child actors. For example, Juliette Lewis in Cape Fear, was also in a steamy role too young, but I liked that film. Later, in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, the same innocent vulnerability blended with eroticism worked well again.

But, Anna Paquin just sets my teeth on edge.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

41. do NOT watch True Blood, then. You will NOT like it

:D

maybe it has something to do with the way she pronounces her words :shrug:

[Burma Jones]

19. I'll throw "Like Water For Chocolate" on the list

As well as any number of Kurosawa and Hitchcock films

[MineralMan]

28. Kurosawa....here's a "perfect" film of his you haven't seen

I bet.

Dersu Uzala

This is a remarkable film, and way off in left field for him. Rent it.

[Richardo]

20. "All the President's Men"

Meets and surpasses all criteria. :thumbsup:

[BOSSHOG]

22. "The Fly" with Geena Davis

The score was incredibly intrusive at the end, just as it should have been. I think it meets your criteria.

[Tighelander]

92. It Grossed Me Out! n/t

[targetpractice]

23. Lost In Translation

I'm a total sci-fi nerd, but Lost In Translation is my favorite movie of all-time.... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335266/

[MineralMan]

30. Interesting choice...

I loved the surrealistic Japanese TV show.

[Auggie]

24. Ratatouille

IMO, one of the most perfect films ever

[MineralMan]

33. Well...I liked it...but...

For animated films, my all-time favorite is The Triplets of Belleville, so you'll have an idea of my taste in animations.

As I said, "perfect" is subjective...

[Auggie]

37. Yep... subjective

[jobycom]

108. Peter O'Toole was brilliant!

"You're pretty thin for someone who likes food."
"I don't like food, I love it, and if I don't love it, I don't swallow it."

I think it has become my favorite animated film, surpassing Spirited Away and Mulan--neither of which I'd classify as perfect, despite how much I love them.

[MineralMan]

25. An example of a terrible movie that is still "perfect."

"Jane White Is Sick And Twisted"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0271018/

David Michael Latt -- director, writer

Kim Little -- Leading Actor

This is a horrid little movie, but it still meets the criteria. It should be a cult film, but did not get enough distribution to join that small group of movies.

NetFlix has it, if anyone wants to bother. After seeing it, I was amazed that I had to include it in my list. To make certain, I bought the DVD. I've screened it for several people, all of whom detested it, but could not stop watching it. You have to have watched television in the 70s to understand the cast and the continual allusions that are what the film is.

My wife, who does argue a bit about this movie, appreciated my choice for its inclusion by buying an original poster for it from David Latt and Kim Little, who were selling stuff from the movie on ebay, since it made bupkis in the theaters. She did not bid, however, on the stuffed owl that was a prop in the movie.

If anyone does see it, I'd be interested in comments.

[Tighelander]

26. Jaws

I think it's very well made, and very entertaining.

[MineralMan]

35. That movie sent me to the emergency room

with an anxiety attack.

[driver8]

46. I can understand that. I hate swimming in the ocean because of that movie!

How lame is that?

[Common Sense Party]

54. I would also put "Duel" there.

VERY low made-for-TV budget, few characters, a never-seen antagonist, but extremely tight and suspenseful.

Early Spielberg was the best.

[Tighelander]

65. Don't buy the "Theatrical Version" of Duel

In Europe, Duel was shown in theaters. To do that however the movie was lengthened by 10 minutes or so. The extra time really destroys it, for me at least.

[Common Sense Party]

69. Oh, really? I didn't know that.

What did they add? I downloaded it for my iPod once, but I think it's just the TV version.

[Tighelander]

91. Dennis takes a nap

and the movie also goes to sleep. Dennis has a nightmare. That's the biggest thing I remember. I too thought very highly of "Duel", loving each time that I saw it on TV.

[mitchum]

72. "Duel" is his best work

[Common Sense Party]

73. I've always thought so, with Jaws a fairly close second.

I wasn't impressed with anything else he did until Schindler's List.

[MISSDem]

38. My God. The list could go on and on.

Surely there are hundreds that fit your criteria.

[MineralMan]

40. That's the fun of it...

[driver8]

42. The Commitments!!!

My favorite movie -- it is the perfect movie!!

[MineralMan]

45. You may well be right!

[Iggo]

80. I love that movie.

I thought it kinda rambled, though.

I'll watch it again...

[MineralMan]

48. "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg"

In the original French only. No dubs. This remarkable little movie won the Golden Globe for "Best Foreign Film" and is a constant pleasure. A French Jazz Opera. It must be seen. If you have not, order it today.

Catherine Deneuve as a teenager is a blessing to the soul, and the music is charmant in the extreme.

Another classic that's pretty much lost. It's dated, but never mind...you'll fall right into it. Doesn't matter if you speak French, either.

[deucemagnet]

49. Pan's Labyrinth

I'm not sure it quite fits your criteria, but movies don't get much better for me.

[geardaddy]

50. The title of your post makes me think of Jeopardy

As in, there should be "perfect" in the tite. :D

[leeroysphitz]

51. Children Of Men nails it.

The Road Warrior also stands out as a film where all the peices really fit together in the manner you describe.

[Mad_Dem_X]

52. Brokeback Mountain

Perfect from start to finish.

[gblady]

95. Agreed!

[Release The Hounds]

55. Goodfellas

[MorningGlow]

56. His Girl Friday

I just got the Cary Grant DVD box set for my birthday. Can't wait to watch it! :D

[Flaxbee]

57. Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility

Perfect.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

58. thought of some more:

Legends of the Fall
Blue Velvet
Body Heat
River Runs Through It
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
American Beauty

[Lost-in-FL]

59. Pooty Tang

Of course if "incoherent" isn't part of your criteria.

[deutsey]

60. Fargo and The Big Lebowski n/t

[elshiva]

61. Bringing Up Baby

Serenity

Perfectly Awful Movies

Epic Movie

Battlefield Earth

[XemaSab]

62. O Brother Where Art Thou

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned. :shrug:

[Common Sense Party]

70. Yup. That's purt' near perfect. n/t

[nytemare]

63. "Amelie" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"

:)

[Blue_Tires]

64. Grapes of Wrath

and Judgement at Nurnberg

[rcrush]

66. Krull

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

67. I like the checklist idea

especially as it applies to dialogue. I like to subject movies to the "fuck" test; is the movie better due to a) the use of the word and/or b) excessive use of the word?
The Big Lebowski was perfect but many other movies only seem to have gratuitous cursing.
Now, my two submissions;
Paths to Glory
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
:)

[RFKHumphreyObama]

68. To Kill A Mockingbird would be another for me

[mitchum]

71. Psycho and Aguirre; The Wrath of God

[RagAss]

74. "The Deer Hunter"...... 1978

[LibDemAlways]

76. The Godfather and The Godfather II n/t

[WildEyedLiberal]

77. Million Dollar Baby

Goddamn that's a beautiful movie.

More recently: Slumdog Millionaire.

[jobycom]

85. Yes, I forgot about that one, maybe because I plan to never watch it again.

It was powerful, beautiful, and so damned painful.

[WildEyedLiberal]

101. Yeah it's really hard to get through

But everyone should watch it at least once.

[Iggo]

79. A sampling of my list...

The Road Warrior. (The Great Escape, except with colorful gangs.)
(EDIT: Okay, not The Great Escape. More like Escape From New York, except with even MORE colorful gangs.)

The Warriors. (There And Back Again, except with colorful gangs.)

Westside Story. (Romeo And Juliet, except with colorful gangs.)

[coyotespaw]

81. Somehow everyone forgot Highlander...

It won the Academy Award.

[jobycom]

86. You're goldarn right it did. You'd have to be some effete Frenchie type to not agree.

:rofl:

[Shardik]

82. A few of mine that haven't been mentioned yet (I think).

Silverado

Petrified Forest

The Orphanage

The City of Lost Children

Angel A

Alien

Amelie

(The original) Night of the Hunter

Barton Fink

No Country For Old Men

Psycho

[ellisonz]

83. American Beauty

[Neshanic]

115. Absolutely.

[6000eliot]

84. Chinatown

My all-time favorite movie.

[lightningandsnow]

87. Better than Chocolate.

Such a good movie.

It's Canadian, and not many people have heard of it, which is a shame because it's...perfect.

[elshiva]

110. That's a great movie.

:loveya:

[AwakeAtLast]

88. "That Thing You Do!"

LOVE that movie! :loveya:

[AwakeAtLast]

89. How could I forget: "The Shawshank Redemption"

and also basically and Coen Bros. movie.

[Scooter24]

90. Schindler's List

[Tighelander]

93. Vanishing Point

The original from the early seventies is a cult movie for some. I liked it just as well as "Duel".

[Countdown_3_2_1]

94. Young Frankenstien and Tremors (the first movie)

A perfect comedy and a perfect monster movie

1. The movie has to be self-contained and without glaring inconsistencies.
2. The movie must be properly cast, meaning that no actor seems out of place.
3. The movie must track well, without unnecessary puzzling turns, unless that is the point.
4. Dialogue must be appropriate to the film.
5. The score must enhance the film but not be intrusive, unless the score is the point.
6. Camera work and editing must enhance the film, but not be intrusive, unless that is the point.
5. The film need not be a box-office hit, nor even very good, as long as it meets all the criteria.

[azmouse]

98. I'll second those choices.

Two of my fav movies.

[GCP]

97. The Departed, And LA Confidential

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

99. Into the Wild

prefect work, story, acting, and music, to me.

[JeffR]

102. School of Rock.

:thumbsup:

[elocs]

103. My one and only requirement for a movie is that it entertains me.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy are movies that will stand up as classics even 50 years from now. I have watched them all many, many times, including the commentaries.

[Left Is Write]

104. Psycho (the original)

[SoxFan]

105. Rocky

Forget the ludicrous sequels with Mr. T and the Russian steroid experiment. The first one was a brilliant film.

1. Nothing obvious, except for Muhammed Ali being re-named Apollo Creed ;)
2. Brilliant casting. Stallone was born to play a lug, and Talia Shire had a mousy charm.
3. Pretty straightforward, no idiotic subplots
4. Aside from the lack of Philly accents, it captured the gritty urban setting
5. Well, duh
6. The boxing scenes were well shot, and made it feel like you were watching an actual fight

[Lindsey]

106. I'm a hugh Christopher Guest fan so....

Waiting for Guffman
Best in Show
Also:
The Lives of Others (Foreign)
Central Station (Foreign)
The Sixth Sense
Many others but I'm tired......

[Mollis]

107. The Fall

I thought it was quite amazing.

[TroglodyteScholar]

111. Love Liza

Meets all your criteria 1 thru 6 and the second 5 as well :P The soundtrack is by Jim O'Rourke, and is absolutely perfect.

[pengillian101]

112. Favorite movies, oh my - where to start, lol.

Hia MineralMan, here's a short-short list of mine that I have seen many times each.

Gone with the Wind
Wizard of Oz
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Rear Window (1954)
Vertigo (1958)
North by Northwest (1959)
Psycho (1960)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
The Sting (1973)
Chinatown (1974)
Taxi Driver (1976)
The Shining (1980)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Forrest Gump (1994)
American History X (1998)
Fight Club (1999)
Shanghai Noon (2002)

(Plus newer ones that I LOVE, but I have only viewed a few times - yet to be considered a 'favorite' of mine.)

:D

[pengillian101]

116. How could I forget ?

Rosemary's Baby (1968 I think)
Soylent Green (1973)

Very intense at the time. :-)

[Neshanic]

113. No "Singing in the Rain" No "Barry Lyndon" No "A.I."

[mainegreen]

114. Run Lola Run

[underpants]

118. From Justin to Kelly

It is so perfectly bad it is one of the only movies I deem worthy of owning