What movies do you consider perfect?

[CConn]

So old spider-neil mentioned in another thread that he personally has never seen a movie he considers "perfect".

So my question is, do any of you consider any movies perfectly made? Or, at least, without any major flaws that you could vocalize?

[Figs]

John Carpenter's The Thing
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
LA Confidential

Those are just a few off the top of my head that I have no issues with.

[El Payaso]

None, but The Godfather 1 and 2 are dangerously close.

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Fight Club

[childeroland]

The Wizard of Oz.
Spirited Away
Princess Mononoke
Citizen Kane
Days of Heaven

[CConn]

For me...

Batman
Inception
The Life Aquatic
M
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Godfather
Kill Bill, Vol. 1
The Fellowship of the Ring

I think that's it.

[knowsbleed]

Provide a definition of "perfect" that we can compare movies to... otherwise this is really just a question of "What are the best movies, in your opinion?"

[spider-neil]

John Carpenter's The Thing





The final stop motion creature is pretty poor.

[spider-neil]

My definition of the perfect movie is;
* Top class performances across the board (leads and supporting cast).
* Totally convincing effects (if it has special effects).
* Perfect pacing. You are engaged for all 3 acts.
* No glaring plot holes or characters acting or doing anything that makes no sense within the context of the movie.

I haven't seen a movie that ticks all of the above. Some movies for me have come awfully close but something (like a plot hole, or a character who is poor).
I would say the closest to the perfect movie I have seen would be the Shawshank Redemption.

[Figs]

The final stop motion creature is pretty poor.

That has no bearing on whether the movie is a good or great film. You're nitpicking, just looking for something to complain about.

[spider-neil]

For me...

Batman
Inception
The Life Aquatic
M
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Godfather
Kill Bill, Vol. 1
The Fellowship of the Ring

I think that's it.

Batman - Batman is too stiff.
Inception - 2nd act drags.
The Life Aquatic - Haven't seen it.
M - Haven't seen it.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -This is a contender.
The Godfather - Haven't seen it, yeah yeah, sue me.
Kill Bill, Vol. 1 - c'mon, really?
The Fellowship of the Ring - Some effects are sub par.

[spider-neil]

That has no bearing on whether the movie is a good or great film. You're nitpicking, just looking for something to complain about.

Saying a effect is't up to scratch is a nit pick? A poor effect breaks the illusion and takes you out the movie. The Thing is one of the best horror movies ever but some effects are sub par therefore it isn't a perfect movie. We're not talking about good or even GREAT movies we are saying whether a movie is PERFECT/FLAWLESS.

[knowsbleed]

My definition of the perfect movie is;
* Top class performances across the board (leads and supporting cast).
* Totally convincing effects (if it has special effects).
* Perfect pacing. You are engaged for all 3 acts.
* No glaring plot holes or characters acting or doing anything that makes no sense within the context of the movie.

I haven't seen a movie that ticks all of the above. Some movies for me have come awfully close but something (like a plot hole, or a character who is poor).
I would say the closest to the perfect movie I have seen would be the Shawshank Redemption.

For me, Unforgiven meets those standards along with a few other Clint Eastwood films.

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

A perfect movie is one that excels in every facet of movie making; casting, acting, directing, writing, cinematography, editing, mise en scène, sound, writing, and drama. My choice, Fight Club, I feel, does this.

[spider-neil]

A perfect movie is one that excels in every facet of movie making; casting, acting, directing, writing, cinematography, editing, mise en scène, sound, writing, and drama. My choice, Fight Club, I feel, does this.

You said writing twice ;)

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Well it's pretty damn important!

[Figs]

edit

[Crockett]

The few that I could think of right now:

The Godfather I & II
Mulholland Drive
Fanny and Alexander
Requiem for a Dream
Boogie Nights
The Kid (1921)
Talk to Her

[Thundercrack85]

Oddly enough, I'd probably have to say Iron Man. It did everything right.

Batman Begins would be on the list... but it had that painfully unnecessary childhood friend / love interest who they invented just for the movie.

[CJ]

The Dark Knight.

I hate how sadistic and cruel the movie gets at times. Taking a good man like Harvey Dent, killing his fiancee, causing half of his face to be mutilated, then when he retaliates against the people responsible, he's pegged as a "bad guy" then Batman shoves him off a ledge, killing him. Meanwhile, the villain responsible just giggles to himself at all he's done. Disgusting. I also hated Brian Douglas' death, but man, everything else about the movie was perfect.

The Joker was a sickening character, but that is what made him such a great villain. It made the viewer want Batman to take him down. It added intensity to the film, because you knew he was capable of anything. There were, as the tagline said, no rules. Not even the female love interest was safe.

The cinematography was gorgeous, The music was great. The marketing also, was perfect. The virals, TV Spots, trailers, posters. I love the movie, but hate how dark and sinister it gets.


Some other movies I consider perfect (They're mostly family films):

Spider-Man 2
Beauty and the Beast
Aladdin
The Land Before Time
Home Alone
Home Alone 2
The Sandlot
Toy Story

[CConn]

Batman - Batman is too stiff.
Inception - 2nd act drags.
The Life Aquatic - Haven't seen it.
M - Haven't seen it.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -This is a contender.
The Godfather - Haven't seen it, yeah yeah, sue me.
Kill Bill, Vol. 1 - c'mon, really?
The Fellowship of the Ring - Some effects are sub par.This is a post your favorite movies thread, not obnoxiously critique other people's opinions thread. :o

[Schlosser85]

I can't think of a single complaint about The Avengers.

The Lord of the Rings is just about perfect to me.

[gwynplaine]

The Night of the Hunter
Grand Illusion
Etc.

[Thundercrack85]

Toy Story, definitely. Sequel as well.

One of the few films where the sequel really surpassed the original.

I'd also say Terminator 2.

[jonathancrane]

Dirty Harry.
Shawshank Redemption.
The Searchers. Especially.

[Figs]

Schindler's List

[spider-neil]

I'd also say Terminator 2.


T2 has a massive plot hole.
The T-1000 pokes sarah trough the shoulder ad says 'call to John' when the movie clearly establishes that all the T-1000 has to do to mimic anyone is touch them, so the T-1000 could have called to John itself.

[spider-neil]

This is a post your favorite movies thread, not obnoxiously critique other people's opinions thread. :o

I thought this thread was about the 'perfect' movie rather than a 'favorites' thread. I have favorite movies that are riddled with plot holes, pacing problems, sub par acting from supporting actors etc.

[bullets]

Another way to approach this is by checking http://www.moviemistakes.com/

[CConn]

Um, that has nothing to do with your opinion in contrast to mine.

I legitimately think the films I listed are perfect. You posting a one word rebuttles really doesn't affect anything. :o

[bullets]

Plot holes , pacing , continuity , etc don't count if I don't notice them or if it doesn't take me out of the film. My perfect list

Batman Begins
The Crow
Superman: The Movie
Thor
Iron Man
Alien
Aliens
District 9
Predator
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Casino Royale
Die Hard
Leon The Professional
Heat
The Departed
Goodfellas
The Godfather
Pulp Fiction
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Sanjuro
Yojimbo
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Lord of the Rings trilogy
Star Wars ( original trilogy)
Ghostbusters
Insomnia
Inception
The Prestige
Raging Bull
Fight Club
Seven
King Kong
Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein
The Exorcist
Spider-man 2
Back to the Future ...

[CConn]

I was on the fence with putting The Departed on my list.

There Will Be Blood is also damn near perfect as well.

[Sgt.Pepper]

The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
The Bicycle Thieves
Chinatown
The Fountain
12 Angry Men
City of God
The Purple Rose of Cairo
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Rebecca
The New World

There's more but these are the ones that came directly to my mind when I thought of perfection in film.

[gwynplaine]

Dog Day Afternoon

[bullets]

I was on the fence with putting The Departed on my list.

There Will Be Blood is also damn near perfect as well.



I was also thinking about The Town and The Fighter. I'm a bit partial towards those films because the locations are roughly where I grew up.

[scatterax]

Indiana Jones atRotLA

[Thundercrack85]

T2 has a massive plot hole.
The T-1000 pokes sarah trough the shoulder ad says 'call to John' when the movie clearly establishes that all the T-1000 has to do to mimic anyone is touch them, so the T-1000 could have called to John itself.

That depends. In a cut scene (which is included in some versions) we see that the T-1000 starts malfunctioning after it is frozen (and blown up). The cut scene shows it having problems (glitching) right before it grabs her. That's why it can't mimic voices anymore.

Though you could also interpret it as the T-1000 just being particularly sadistic.

[Incrediblejeff]

Chinatown
The Godfather 2
Rashomon
Diabolique
On The Waterfront

And that's pretty much all I would even consider Flawless.I have movies I love more than these,but I would never consider them flawless (If that makes any sense)

[Union Jack]

for me my perfect films are -
superman 2
the avengers
star wars (original trilogy)
monsters inc
toy story 3
captain america ( i loved this movie)
ghostbusters

[Abudefduf]

The Purple Rose of CairoGlad to see that movie getting some love... very underrated and one of Allen's finest.

[El Payaso]

Glad to see that movie getting some love... very underrated and one of Allen's finest.

I agree. And I'd add "Crimes and Misdemeanours" to the list of perfect movies.

[TheOnlyOmega]

Maybe its just the nostalgia glasses, but I consider each Toy Story to be perfect. No problems with any of them.

[CConn]

Hm. I agree with Toy Story 3.

[PSYLENTGuardian]

The first two Terminator movies. I'm not bothered by the effects in the first one since it was 1984. The second one holds up extremely well.

[darkseid26]

The Royal Tenenbaums
Punch-Drunk Love
La Dolce Vita
2001: A Space Odyssey
Once Upon A Time In The West
Vivre Sa Vie
Raging Bull
Belle De Jour
Citizen Kane
High and Low
Tree of Life
The 400 Blows
Mulholland Drive
ET

etc...

[Batman jr.]

The only movies I consider perfect in ANY way are my top five:

Léon
Heat
True Romance
Goodfellas
The Godfather Part II


Some are not too far behind though, like The Shining or On Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

[jonathancrane]

Midnight in Paris.

[Matt Mortem]

For me, Unforgiven meets those standards along with a few other Clint Eastwood films.

Yep. I was going to post Unforgiven. Out of all the movies I've seen Unforgiven is one of the few where I said aloud "This film may very well be perfect"

I'd also list The Bride of Frankenstein.

[Sentinel X]

The Matrix
Silence of the Lambs
District 9
Memento
Mulholland Drive
Psycho
Vertigo
Metropolis
The Shawshank Redemption
Alien
Terminator 2
2001: A space odyssey
Raging Bull
Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back
To Kill a mockingbird
No country for old men
Let the Right One in
Waltz for Bashir

Now although there are some scenes that I would do differently that doesn't mean the original scenes were flaws. Its just different. I need to watch more movies but the more I learn about film making (Im an aspiring filmmaker) the more I can appreciate these films and realize things that I thought were minor "flaws" were really just a different way to approach things and not necessarily a flaw.

[Rowsdower!]

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Snatch
Pulp Fiction
Fight Club
Inception
A Clockwork Orange
Dr. Strangelove
The Matrix
A Fistful of Dollars
Rubber :D

[kit1982]

The French Connection
Bullitt

Both have outstanding performances from the lead, great supporting cast performances and brilliant "douche" performances from Bill Hickman and Robert Vaughn.... and thats before we get into the car chases.

[Mister H.]

Barry Lyndon
Unforgiven
The Exorcist
Mulholland Dr.

Although I've always said there's no such thing as a "perfect" film, those are the ones that I can watch over and over again and not find a single thing I would change. Great acting and characters, dialogue, photography/lighting, editing, score, direction, production design, and re-watchability factor (which I think is important).

[Mister H.]

Some of your lists are WAY too long. If you have more than a handful, you're just listing your favorites. And there is a huge difference between favorites and perfect. Gummo and Roadhouse are two of my favorites, but they are far from perfect. All these big budget Hollywood blockbusters are pretty much ineligible as there is no way that many formulaic roller-coaster rides can be consider flawless artisitic endeavors.

[Figs]

Some of your lists are WAY too long. If you have more than a handful, you're just listing your favorites. And there is a huge difference between favorites and perfect. Gummo and Roadhouse are two of my favorites, but they are far from perfect. All these big budget Hollywood blockbusters are pretty much ineligible as there is no way that many formulaic roller-coaster rides can be consider flawless artisitic endeavors.

http://i47.tinypic.com/33v17jq.jpg

Seriously though, maybe some people have just seen that many movies to where they can pick out more than just two that they consider perfect...

[def28]

Some of the effects are definitely flawed nowadays but I find these flicks very close to perfection.

Back To The Future
Ghostbusters
Alien
Raiders of The Lost Ark
Rear Window

[Vengeance of Bane]

The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford
The Prestige

To me these two movies are near perfect.

[bullets]

Some of your lists are WAY too long. If you have more than a handful, you're just listing your favorites. And there is a huge difference between favorites and perfect. Gummo and Roadhouse are two of my favorites, but they are far from perfect. All these big budget Hollywood blockbusters are pretty much ineligible as there is no way that many formulaic roller-coaster rides can be consider flawless artistic endeavors.


I stand by my list. Young Guns is one of my favorites but I didn't put it up there.

[Mister H.]

http://i47.tinypic.com/33v17jq.jpg

Seriously though, maybe some people have just seen that many movies to where they can pick out more than just two that they consider perfect...

I've seen a hell of a lot of movies friend. Perfection is pretty damn hard to achieve, nearly impossible. To have lists with 15 or 20 perfect films is kind of ridiculous. But whatever.

[Figs]

I've seen a hell of a lot of movies friend. Perfection is pretty damn hard to achieve, nearly impossible. To have lists with 15 or 20 perfect films is kind of ridiculous. But whatever.

I was mainly joking but I understand that it's better to only list a few.

[CConn]

Persona would be another flawless effort, IMO.

[Mister H.]

I was mainly joking but I understand that it's better to only list a few.
Sorry, didn't mean to come off as snarky as my comment did. I could tell you were commenting in jest.

[El Payaso]

Zelig.

[Figs]

Sorry, didn't mean to come off as snarky as my comment did. I could tell you were commenting in jest.

No problem. To be honest I didn't really feel that you came off as snarky.

[Bruce Banner]

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Raiders of The Lost Ark

The French Connection

[MessiahDecoy123]

Goodfellas
The Matrix
Fight Club
Pulp Fiction
Groundhog Day
Ghostbusters
Robocop
The Truman Show
Blade
T2: Judgement Day
Scarface
The Wizard of Oz

[MessiahDecoy123]

Some of your lists are WAY too long. If you have more than a handful, you're just listing your favorites. And there is a huge difference between favorites and perfect. Gummo and Roadhouse are two of my favorites, but they are far from perfect. All these big budget Hollywood blockbusters are pretty much ineligible as there is no way that many formulaic roller-coaster rides can be consider flawless artisitic endeavors.

Perfect to me means there's not one second I would change or could even imagine being better.

There have been dozens of "lightning in a bottle" movies that have achieved this. Though they are far less common recently.

[Mister H.]

There have honestly been "dozens" of movies that you couldn't "imagine being better"? Maybe I'm too damn picky for my own good.

[MessiahDecoy123]

How would you improve Ghostbusters or The Goodfellas?

Seriously?

[Captain_Obvious]

Plot holes , pacing , continuity , etc don't count if I don't notice them or if it doesn't take me out of the film.

Yeah I'm going by this criteria:

Planet of the Apes (1968)
The Decent
The Proposition
Casino Royale
Red Eye
The Exorcist
Dog Day Afternoon
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Philadelphia
Road to Perdition
Ratatouille
Heat
Emperors New Groove (one of the most underrated movies ever :o )

^top of my head, sure there are tons more I feel are utter perfection.

(movies like Goodfellas, Casino and Godfather 1&2 are a given)

[-Arya-]

-A Clockwork Orange
-Zodiac
-Goodfellas
-Apocalypse Now
-Memento
-Seven Samurai

A few of these arent even favorites of mine, but I have to give credit where it is due.

[Sentinel X]

I've seen a hell of a lot of movies friend. Perfection is pretty damn hard to achieve, nearly impossible. To have lists with 15 or 20 perfect films is kind of ridiculous. But whatever. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that at least 1 million films have be made since the dawn of film making. How the hell is 15-20 films you consider perfect a ridiculous number? And of course, none of has seen every movie made ever but we have seen a fair share. I'm assuming a lot of us have seen hundreds, if not thousands of movies over out lives. 15-20 movies still wouldn't be a lot. Not to mention, we tend to watch movies we've heard great things about and avoid the ones that are generally considered "bad" movies.

[Homer J. Fong]

What's ridiculous to me is that anyone is criticizing anyone else's lists or the number of movies on them. When you use the word "perfect" in this context, there's going to be some variation in the criteria for what constitutes a "perfect" movie - because there's variation on what constitutes a flaw. Me, I don't think of minor continuity errors or plot holes as flaws, unless I notice them to the point where they take me out of the story - but if that happens, then they're not minor. I only talk about flaws when it's flaws of storytelling, visual or narrative.

To me, a great movie is one that is not only exceptional in every important regard, but has a kind of ineffable or intangible special quality about it. It has to be exhilarating. A perfect movie is on another level; forgive me if this sounds ridiculously pretentious or something, but a perfect movie to me is one that I wouldn't change in the slightest, that feels truly necessary, and that reminds me why movies need to exist. So, off the top of my head, and by no means a complete list:

A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II
Casablanca
Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Goodfellas
Memento
Scream
Die Hard
Edward Scissorhands
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Ed Wood
Pulp Fiction
Kill Bill
the Toy Story trilogy
my Disney top three of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King
Stranger Than Fiction
Blazing Saddles
Young Frankenstein
Fargo
Ghostbusters
Back to the Future

[Mister H.]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that at least 1 million films have be made since the dawn of film making. How the hell is 15-20 films you consider perfect a ridiculous number? And of course, none of has seen every movie made ever but we have seen a fair share. I'm assuming a lot of us have seen hundreds, if not thousands of movies over out lives. 15-20 movies still wouldn't be a lot. Not to mention, we tend to watch movies we've heard great things about and avoid the ones that are generally considered "bad" movies.
Again, perfection means flawless. Honestly, I'm having a hard time thinking of five flawless movies, let alone a laundry list. I'm not bashing anyone's opinions, just pointing out that this has turned into a "your all-time favorite movie" list, as opposed to a thread with some serious consideration of what a perfect film is.

I'll bugger off now. I'm an inedpendent filmmaker myself, maybe I take these things too seriously and critique film too harshly, at least compared to the typical movie lover.

[Mister H.]

How would you improve Ghostbusters or The Goodfellas?

Seriously?
Is that an attempt at humor? Ghostbusters is a classic '80's movie, one that I've loved since I saw it in the theater at age 6. However...I could never give it the slightest bit of consideration for "perfect movie" status. The special effects look awful now, and weren't even that good when it was released. There's nothing special about the cinematography, score, or editing. Its a great movie, a fun one, but there's nothing special about it. I can't consider a movie "perfect" if it doesn't (at the very least) elevate or transcend its genre. If it doesn't do that, its just another very good movie.

Goodfellas on the other hand would get some consideration. I haven't seen it in a while, but it is an incredible film. Right up there with Taxi Driver as Scorcese's best, and I even think its superior to The Godfather in a lot of ways. I'll revisit it soon...maybe it is a perfect movie.

[MessiahDecoy123]

I wouldn't change a milli-second of Ghostbusters. The dated special effects adds to the charm like a classic Harryhausen stop-motion film.

-DpPicOZOig

[Rowsdower!]

Gremlins 2.


Yes, I'm serious. That movie is pure absurdist bliss.

[Union Jack]

for me these movies are perfect
the avengers
star wars original trilogy
spider-man 1+2
superman 2
ghostbusters

i say these films because i can watch them over and over and never get bored,they are fun and you come out of the cinema (or finish the DVD) with a smile on your face..
A close contender is captain america aswell...loved the film..
i'm not into serious films..i can watch them but prefer to be entertained.

[Captain_Obvious]

-Zodiac

ugh yes, so much yes.

[Slushy]

Aliens
American Gangster (Theatrical)
Blade Runner (Final Cut)
Captain America
Chicago
Crash
The Chronicles Of Narnia: TLTWATW
Dances With Wolves (Theatrical)
The Fast & The Furious
Forrest Gump
From Russia With Love
Gladiator (either version)
Heat
Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom
Iron Man
Kingdom Of Heaven (Director's Cut)
Last Action Hero
Lethal Weapon 4
Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship (Extended)
Lost In Space
The Matrix
Miami Vice (Theatrical)
Mission Impossible II
The Passion Of Christ
Payback (either version)
Rocky
Saving Private Ryan
SAW II
Star Wars: A New Hope & Return Of The Jedi (Theatrical)
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Blu-Ray)
Terminator 2 (Extended)

[Cletus_Kasady]

9
Star Wars (Original Trilogy)
Goodfellas
Pure Romance
Pulp Fiction
Akira

I was engrossed every moment of every one of these movies. I couldn't imagine changing one second of any of these movies.

[Rowsdower!]

Safety Not Guaranteed. Saw it tonight. Simply sublime. I want to marry Aubrey Plaza.

[-Arya-]

Aliens
American Gangster (Theatrical)
Blade Runner (Final Cut)
Captain America
Chicago
Crash
The Chronicles Of Narnia: TLTWATW
Dances With Wolves (Theatrical)
The Fast & The Furious
Forrest Gump
From Russia With Love
Gladiator (either version)
Heat
Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom
Iron Man
Kingdom Of Heaven (Director's Cut)
Last Action Hero
Lethal Weapon 4
Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship (Extended)
Lost In Space
The Matrix
Miami Vice (Theatrical)
Mission Impossible II
The Passion Of Christ
Payback (either version)
Rocky
Saving Private Ryan
SAW II
Star Wars: A New Hope & Return Of The Jedi (Theatrical)
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Blu-Ray)
Terminator 2 (Extended)
Really dude?

[Mister H.]

^ I know. Again, its like this is a personal favorites thread for some posters. I can handle people listing movies that I can't see as perfect when they are actually well-made classics. But stuff like F&F and Saw???

Like I said earlier, I love Roadhouse, its one of my all-time favorite movies. I've probably seen it 70 or 80 times (not exaggerating). But I would never in a million years call it a perfect movie, as it does nothing but entertain, with little to no artistic value. Maybe that's part of the equation though. If someboy sees movies purely as entertainment and escapism, then action movies may be "perfect" to them.

[TheGuy]

Toy Story
And Toy Story 2.

[El Payaso]

^ I know. Again, its like this is a personal favorites thread for some posters. I can handle people listing movies that I can't see as perfect when they are actually well-made classics. But stuff like F&F and Saw???

Like I said earlier, I love Roadhouse, its one of my all-time favorite movies. I've probably seen it 70 or 80 times (not exaggerating). But I would never in a million years call it a perfect movie, as it does nothing but entertain, with little to no artistic value. Maybe that's part of the equation though. If someboy sees movies purely as entertainment and escapism, then action movies may be "perfect" to them.

I agree. This turned into the personal favourite movies.

[Matt Mortem]

Red State. I can't find a flaw watching that movie. The performances are good, the story is good and takes you places you didn't expect. Hell, Kevin Smith even moved the damn camera.

[Sloth7d]

Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is the only movie that to this day I rate 10/10.

[Belvedere]

No Country for Old Men.

A brilliantly acted, brilliantly shot and brilliantly casted film.

[Parker Wayne]

The Room