Working Towards a Top 10: Part 5: 40 - 25

Round 4 of cuts. If you want an entire write-up of what I am doing... here is the first post where I "go long" on it. http://atleastyouregettingsome.blogspot.com/2012/08/working-towards-top-10-part-1.html

Under you'll find my TOP 25 FILMS OF ALL TIME. Beneath that, the list of cuts from the previous rounds.

I didn't write anything after these cuts. Why? A couple reasons. First, I was lazy. Second, I just pulled from the gut. If I tried to think about the cuts, I would never decide. As it is, I stared at this list for 3 days trying to chop out 15 films. I also have started making a list of films I forgot to add to the initial 70. Some of which may have made it into this top 25.

If you go back to the other posts in this series, there may be a little added insight as to why I ended up cutting certain films on certain days. It's been a rough few weeks. I am finally back to my normal state of peace and balance. Perhaps that is why certain films didn't make the cut this time around.

All that said, I could do this exercise next month and find myself making many changes. I guarantee it. I'm starting to learn that I hate picking favorites.

Feel free to tell me what you would have added to this list and / or why I'm nuts for cutting something. I find that shit fascinating.


My top 25:

CASABLANCA
BREATHLESS
IN A LONELY PLACE
CERTIFIED COPY
THE LOVERS ON THE BRIDGE
DOGVILLE
CITY LIGHTS
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD
HUSBANDS
PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC
MANHATTAN
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG
WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES
F FOR FAKE
SABRINA
VERTIGO
APOCALYPSE NOW
THE MAN WITH THE MOVIE CAMERA
STALKER
THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE
WHAT TIME IS IT THERE?
IRMA VEP

The 15 cut to bring us to a final 25:
WINGS OF DESIRE
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
ZERO DE CONDUITE
POETRY
SANS SOLEIL
THIS IS ENGLAND
FITZCARALDO
NIGHT MOVES
ALL THE REAL GIRLS
FOUR NIGHTS OF A DREAMER
HIS GIRL FRIDAY
MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S
RED DESERT
THE BIG LEBOWSKI
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER

The third 10 that had to go:
THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE...
THE NAKED KISS
MORVERN CALLAR
JOHNNY GUITAR
THE DEVIL, PROBABLY
ANTICHRIST
SUNRISE
GILDA
FAT CITY
BADLANDS

The second 10 that had to go:
THE CONVERSATION (Impossible choice. Well, I guess not that impossible)
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (FAT CITY just sits deep in my bones, this one I just dig the fuck out of)
ANNIE HALL (This was a mood based pull... tomorrow I may regret not putting MANHATTAN in this spot)
SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (I had to pull this as the cut that makes this list is the TV cut)
TWO-LANE BLACKTOP
CLAIRE'S KNEES (Same deal as ANNIE HALL)
SANSHO THE BAILIFF
NINOTCHKA (This was a painful pull... Basically, it just left because it isn't fresh in my mind)
THE THIN RED LINE (This left only because BADLANDS resonates with me emotionally on a much deeper level... I would not argue with you if you said TTRL is the better film)

The first 10 that had to go (Remember, these are all amazing films and it hurt me just a little bit to cut each one that I did. Especially you, Ms. Brooks.):
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
LE SAMOURAI
KINGS OF THE ROAD
HE WHO GETS SLAPPED
THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER
CHINATOWN
PANDORA'S BOX
TAXI DRIVER
THE PIANO TEACHER
IKIRU