re: A "Perfect" Movie

Good lord.

Even if you have children, why is the nation in love with children's movies? Our parents raised adults...and took us to see Alien and Ghandi and Chariots of Fire and Platoon and Mosquito Coast as children.

But those movies don't exist anymore. Now it's movies for children or the rare movie for senior citizens.

You have either Iron Man 3 or The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

What the hell happened to the majority middle ground?

How did the comic book 40 year old virgin nerd who can't grow up vs. old lady On Golden Pond become Hollywood's cash cow?

To Kill a Mockngbird
Chinatown
Alien
Casablanca
Vertigo
Raising Arizona

and a several others

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If you think all of Pixar's movies are written exclusively for children, I feel so, so sorry for you. Most of their movies speak way more to adults than kids.

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let me guess, you love super hero movies too?

Jaws

Many good ones listed, would also add:

Schindler's List
Raging Bull
Some Like it Hot
Glory

I have made this point to a few of my friend but I think Forgetting Sarah Marshall is scene for scene perfect. There is no waste.

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What I'm talking about is a movie where everything just works. The cast, their chemistry, the plot, possibly action, possibly humor, even the score.

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I would add what's even more important is that these films set out what they mean to do...and do it. 100%. They don't falter. They hit the point, the emotions conveyed, the goal. This is what separates the perfect films from even the great films.

To me, that intention is even more important than the superficial characteristics of the film. Those superficial characteristics are meant to communicate one kind of experience, and it's special when a film hits on every mark.

I think this is why a film like Monty Python, when all other parts of it the plot, the acting, the set design are all effectively subpar, or even awful, it's the point of the film, the goal, that is so fully realized that it trumps everything else. The fact that we don't need a coherent plot or dazzling acting to consider this film "great," is exactly the point of any story.

(I think this is an extreme example, but not necessarily the best of the best.)

I would say these movies are also timeless.

For me, this ends up being films like:

Throne of Blood
Vertigo
Seven Samurai
2001
Stalker
Halloween
Jaws
Spirited Away
Die Hard
Sleeping Beauty


etc. Most of these hit my Top 20 as well. I think the list of Perfect films, for me, is tiny, maybe 20-30 films tops. I would also argue that I recognize that some films I don't like personally, The Godfather Part 2, is exactly that. A perfect film. I just don't happen to enjoy it.

Pan's Labyrinth

Everything about that movie is fantastic. The setting, acting, story. The score is one of the best in film history.

Sicario

Saw this movie the other night and it was amazing. I might just be reeling from first viewing, but it is on my list at the moment.

I will add one no one has mentioned so far:

The Goonies

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For those saying Clooney's Ocean's 11, have you seen the original?

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It's excellent. The actors and characters have the same chemistry and charisma in the original as they do in the remake.

The remake is still a better movie, and that's quite an accomplishment.