I caught the ending of The Princess Bride with my 16 year old daughter a day or two ago. We've of course seen it before, but were drawn in on a TV showing just before they stormed the castle. When it got over, my daughter said something like, "Why don't they make perfect movies any more?" I asked her what she meant, and she explained that most of her very favorite movies--ones that were done just perfectly in her estimation--tended to be from the 80s or 90s. That, combined with the recent Harold Ramis thread got me wondering--what are the perfect movies, movies which in my opinion accomplished their mission to the utmost extent and are a pleasure to watch over and over? Ones like the Princess Bride that I would probably not be able to turn away from were I to catch them playing on TV half way through. As a counter-example, I recently watched Frozen and while it was a great movie it clearly had a couple of problems in the storyline. The answer to this question will vary person by person, but I started making my own list.
(in alphabetical order)
Amadeus
Arsenic and Old Lace
Back to the Future
A Christmas Story
Groundhog Day
Mary Poppins
Men in Black
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Princess Bride
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Shrek
Star Wars (episode 4)
Strictly Ballroom
I could probably figure out a few others to include, but that's a good start. Anyone want to dispute my choices, or add to the list? (My own tastes clearly run to the PG variety.)
(in alphabetical order)
Amadeus
Arsenic and Old Lace
Back to the Future
A Christmas Story
Groundhog Day
Mary Poppins
Men in Black
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Princess Bride
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Shrek
Star Wars (episode 4)
Strictly Ballroom
I could probably figure out a few others to include, but that's a good start. Anyone want to dispute my choices, or add to the list? (My own tastes clearly run to the PG variety.)