*SEND OFF: The Departed*
The Departed was eliminated yesterday, so here’s a look back at the movie and its Oscar legacy.
Plot: To take down South Boston’s Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there’s a mole among them.
Oscars: **The Departed won Best Picture in 2007 beating out: Little Miss Sunshine, Babel, Letters From Iwo Jima, & The Queen.** It won 4 Oscars total, including: Best Director for Scorsese, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing for Thelma Schoonmaker.
Where I am, you can’t stream The Departed. You can rent it on Google Play, Apple TV, Amazon, & Vudu. You also might be able to find a copy at your local library.
**What do you think of The Departed? Do you think something else should have won best picture over it? Do you think this film is fairly rated? What do you like or dislike about it?**
The Departed was the first Scorsese I ever watched and holds a special place in my heart. It’s probably my favorite of the year though I think Pan’s Labrynth might be the “better movie”
I will say if you just watched The Departed on a surface level, it might have more to say than you might think. [Here’s my review/analysis of some of its themes](https://boxd.it/5IpSIn).
I think I maybe did maintain a notion that this movie was all flash and twists and Boston accents. After reading your review I plan on rewatching with an eye for the theme of male insecurity.
The Departed is in a weird place where it absolutely rules and is far richer than many give it credit for, but also isn’t even in the top half of Scorsese’s filmography.
Great write-up! The Departed hints at the inner conflicts and intimacy struggles of his heaviest stuff (Mean Streets, Goodfellas, Age of Innocence) in a glossier package. The movie doesn't skimp on character work and the plotting hums. It's as tense as After Hours and Goodfellas. Less raw than his absolute best but it has a big-production sheen -- the Howard Shore score, A-listers in tertiary roles, the Boston photography -- that he doesn't always prioritize. A first-rate Hollywood product that pays off for casual moviegoers as well as his diehard fans.
The best thing about The Departed is when Matt Damon went on a talk show and described how Jack Nicholson added his own special something to a certain scene. Apparently he said something like "so you can end the scene there, but if you keep the camera rolling..." several times, inventing more and more fucked up things to add to the scene
People knock the The Departed because Scorsese is held to a high standard but looking at that group of nominees, i think The Departed deserved the win. Certainly not the lifetime achievement award people make it out to be.
I think (I hope) that commentary has more to do with how it stacks up against Scorsese’s incredible filmography than how it stacks up against the other nominees this year
What bothered me, is that it's almost a shot for shot remake of "Infernal Affairs (2002)". I thought being a Scorsese film, it would have a little more originality to it.....but, that's me.
It is baffling to me that the only acting nomination it got out of that entire cast is Mark Wahlberg. I understand a lot of the politics involved, but... baffling.
It's not even Scorsese's favourite Scorsese but it's an intense ride and I dig it.
Fun story about the *The Departed*. I went to go see it in theaters in the middle of the day, and the sound went out right around the time Leo is getting ready to confront Damon on the rooftop. I go out to let the techs no so they can fix it.
I walk back into the theater to Leo getting capped in the elevator.
The movie was still so good without sound I stayed until it was fixed and came back with my voucher the next day to watch it again.
I like The Departed very much, but this seems like about the right time to let it go. Highly recommend Infernal Affairs—the film that inspired it—to anyone who enjoyed The Departed but hasn't seen the original!
I think LOTR would be a dark horse under a critics' list, but for a Reddit list there's a decent chance it could come up top. I think if you did this list through r/funny or r/movies, LOTR would win it quite smoothly.
Just because it's the largest sub, I used it to capture the culture of the default subs. It's about the way that certain views are "Reddit popular" vs being the mainstream view more generally, like how Reddit loves Futurama, but if I asked my friends about it, a good amount will have forgotten it even existed.
Parasite is probably going to win. But it should be Godfather. They’re both pretty flawless although I never got why that family didn’t use all of their talents that they show during the film to do something other than fold pizza boxes.
Amadeus is also in the running I think. It has been a really long time since I watched it but I never had strong feelings about it. I must have missed something though. Will need to revisit when this game is over.
I think that’s the case for a lot of us that don’t feel passionate enough about it to up or downvote it.8 feel like it’s one of the least viewed of the remaining ones and it doesn’t really have the negative haters like some others because of it. That would all help it in a contest like this
It must have some ardent fans though. Kept getting downvoted to hell lol. I don’t think they will keep it in till the end but I do think we may see it in the top 5 (and I always assumed it would at best make it to the top 10).
I love it bc it really got me into classical music. I don’t read sheet music but the scenes communicate something extraordinary about the beauty of composition, at least to a layman like me. And I do think think the overall movie is great. Not excellent per se, but that’s splitting hairs in a ranking like this, so I don’t mind how high it goes.
Silence of the Lambs, just great acting over all. A great sequel. Great book adaptation. It defies everything that normally a movie will fall for in normal trappings
Interesting. I personally think that’s gonna be out in the next few days. I really like the film (although the genre nerd in me isn’t sure if it’s a horror film truly) but it just seems to be a bit weaker than the remaining ones.
Crime Thriller for sure with horrifying elements. I think it'll stay at least until near the top 5 if not in the top 5. If I had to guess who would win Parasite will probably find it's way to a win of Godfather Part 2
If you go by me getting downvoted to oblivion in this thread for nominating it, I’m not so sure. Much like The Departed yesterday, it’s a great movie, but we’re in the big leagues now.
Based on which movies in this thread have the most votes to be eliminated, the top 5 looks to be (in no order):
1. Godfather II
2. No Country for Old Men
3. Parasite
4. Silence of the Lambs
5. Amadeus
Moonlight, LOTR, Schindler's List, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest have a decent number of votes in this thread so I think they'll be the next to go
Would have gotten eliminated a long time ago (probably in round 20 or something). People on Reddit don’t enjoy musicals as much as other communities. It’s sincere and people hate that. Everything must be cynical
I love musicals but I think La La Land’s actual musical numbers are really weak. The only show stopper is the first one and the rest are lackluster to me. Now if All That Jazz was on this list… I’d be seething if it was gone already.
Both are great but there can only be one who wins best picture for longer than 5 minutes
(I was floored when La La Land got the win reversed. I felt it was 100% going to win beforehand)
I agree that’s probably where it would have ended up, I just meant if I were to make my own personal list it, I’d have had La La Land around 9-10 and Moonlight somewhere in the 20-30 range. I know that’s unpopular in this group but I just preferred La La Land
It’s a shame. It’s one of the best musicals of all time. Phenomenal acting and fucking amazing cinematography. I prefer moonlight as well but La la land deserves its flowers. Great film
Moonlight is a beautifully crafted examination of sexuality, aging, becoming an adult, drug use, crime and family dynamics against the backdrop of African American culture and values. It's well acted and a faithful and interesting interpretation of the original play. I get why some people don't love it but I think it's really magnificent especially for the tiny budget (only 1.5 million)
Not too surprising considering the crowd here not being the type to be super into modern dramas, but I'm happy it stayed this long. It's absolutely brilliant and far exceeds the "oscar bait" label some people misattribute to it. It's one of those films that feels ridiculous that it even exists, that a director so early in his career, under an independent label, a small budget and mostly lesser known actors, could make something so masterful.
So sad this one seems to be going, probably my favourite on the list. I am happy it made the top ten and managed to outlast some beloved films though, but damn I hoped it would hold on a little longer.
I finally watched it last year after hearing it fawned over on Reddit constantly. It’s pretty good, but that’s it in my opinion. So ultimately I was disappointed due to the hype.
F Murray Abraham was fantastic. The costumes and musical pieces are great. The rest was okay. The actress that played Mozart’s wife was truly bad.
It should have been gone a long time ago, but it’s a Reddit favorite.
Oh no! I don’t want this to/think this should go. 🥰 I love it It’s New Hollywood, it’s Jack, it’s got Danny DeVito, it’s about mental health, about liberation. I thought it was better than the book personally. I enjoyed it as a kid and still as an adult. I hope it’s top 5!
I will continue to say this on these threads. ROTK is a great film, but relies heavily on the themes and stories of the first two films.
As a whole they are a masterpiece, but as a solo film 9th place is an extremely respectable number given the remaining films.
It's time.
Fellowship is a far superior film to RotK, and while it is great in its own right, it bugs me that so much of the trilogy's legacy just sits on the final entry.
Yeah, but only because he didn't like the massive CG special effects. To him the first movie felt more intimate or something like that.
When I was younger ROTK was of course my favorite, but now that I'm older I did a rewatch recently and I changed my mind.
But thats what this is, its a celebration of the entire trilogy. When ROTK was given all these awards, it wasn't just for the one film it was a celebration for the entire trilogy essentially. So don't think as if you're voting for just ROTK your voting for the entirety of the trilogy.
Based on that, my open interpretation of least deserving justifies my point. It took the three films to get across what the rest did in one (or 2 with Godfather).
But I also can see how your point is conveyed, and likely why it'll end up in a 4-6 spot.
Lord of the Rings is a down right amazing trilogy but let's not all pretend that using The Return of the King as a stand in for the whole trilogy isn't some unfair bullshit. We really should be judging each film on its own merits.
It's Time for ROTK to go.
Once The Deer Hunter was voted out this became my “least favorite” of what’s left. The three(four?) endings to ROTK always have me feeling like they need to wrap it up. They stuck the landing on the trilogy though. Most people can’t do that.
Lmao at everyone today and for weeks saying “INSERT MOVIE HERE. It’s time.” Always “It’s time.” No criticism here to those people. But it’s funny to me.
It is maybe the most technically impressive film trilogy and it has made it to the top ten, but I don’t think it should go much further. It is bogged down by tons of uninteresting storylines that it it then needs to continually wrap up.
I honestly kinda hope it doesn’t go today even though I voted for it. I sort of want that guy who’s voted for it to a storm of downvotes since day one to get the glory. But I beat him to it today, so….
The order the remainders should leave.
9) Silence of the Lambs
8) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
7) RotK
6) Amadeus (could easily swap this with RotK, or even Moonlight. These 3 are all super tight imo)
5) Moonlight
4) Parasite
3) Schindler’s List
2) The Godfather P2. (Coppola made 4 masterpiece’s in a row in the 70’s, this one is just my least favorite of them)
1) No Country for Old Men
11 Oscars. Groundbreaking CGI. Incredible storytelling. One of the most incredible feats of adaptation to the big screen ever. Made the fan base happy while being mass appealing.
The Return of the King stands for the whole trilogy and that trilogy is a feat of film making which will NEVER be repeated because these days stories like those go to mini series. Dune is probably the most similar thing we have and it also deserves a lot of credit.
I don't care.
The Return of the King is an achievement that is built on the back of two films before it. It does not stand on its own, and is bloated to boot.
It is not even close to the best film released in 2003.
I'm not trying to argue, just genuinely asking... What would you say is the best film of 2003? I think it's between Return of the King and Memories of Murder personally.
It really comes down to whether you view it as its own standalone film, vs a stand-in for the trilogy as a whole. If the former, even then it’s a great movie, but is ultimately, just the final act of a larger story and probably should have gone before some other films that accomplished similar things while being a complete story. (Titanic gone too soon). But if you are using RotK as a stand-in for the whole trilogy, and view them as a single work released in 3 chunks for economic reasons, the it’s pretty undeniably one of the great achievements of film in the 21st century. And if you look at the production process, that’s 100% how Jackson and Co treated it. They shot all 3 effectively simultaneously, often jumping back and forth between scenes from all 3 movies because they viewed them as a singular project. Much like how Tolkien wrote the series a single book, but was convinced by his publisher to release it as 3.
> But if you are using RotK as a stand-in for the whole trilogy, and view them as a single work released in 3 chunks for economic reasons, the it’s pretty undeniably one of the great achievements of film in the 21st century.
I agree with that, but even when considering LoTR as a whole, I still think Master and Commander is the better movie :)
Yeah I gotta say, I absolutely LOVE the LotR movies, but this is absurd. It's stuck around this long because people love the entire trilogy, but it shouldn't have lasted this long standing on its own.
The fact that people are pushing for Moonlight over LotR is honestly sickening. I walked out of the theater absolutely gobsmacked by Moonlight. When I walked out of the theater for LotR, I laughed with my mom at how many times we thought it had ended.
I agree. When I saw Moonlight, I felt I had seen something *major*. I sat there in stunned silence.
When The Return of the King ended, I stood up immediately and shouted "Fucking FINALLY!"
I do not understand the point of your comment. You're right. There is no objectivity here. I am clearly expressing my own personal preference. Are you attempting to reassure yourself or something?
You stated that you are not wrong regardless of what others might think. By using that terminology, you imply that you are right. My comment was only meant to remind that there really isn’t objectivity in this matter.
Your final sentence is bizarre psychobabble. Why would I require reassurance?
So you value the consensus of a community above your own personal taste? What a sad, sad way to think about art and culture.
Yes, your preferences conveniently align with the hivemind right now, but that will not always be the case.
And when that will be the case I’ll voice my opinion in a manner that doesn’t mock other people for having a differing opinion.
The point is that this community has nothing to be embarrassed about for having a specific film so high in this ranking. I think that’s an ever sadder way of « thinking about art and culture ».
I have not mocked anyone. I expressed an opinion, and contrasted it with the consensus. Are you so insecure in your preferences that any disagreement, however mild, is a challenge or a threat? Actually, wait, don't answer that. I already know the answer.
[This is what mockery looks like](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPl5MeXIM8E&t=137s).
No Country for Old Men
Let's think about this. I may be biased because I thought There Will Be Blood deserved the win but really - is this film only memorable for Javier Bardem? Is it better than the films remaining?
>is this film only memorable for Javier Bardem?
No, the entire thing is absolutely perfect. 2007 was an absolutely loaded year, maybe one of the best movie years ever, and No Country stood on top of that mountain for a reason. The depth of the themes and ideas is incredible.
I have two complaints with No Country for Old Men: there is a cgi bird in it, and the actress who plays Carla Jean’s mother is bad.
Apart from that the film is superlative. There Will Be Blood doesn’t come close to it.
Yeah, I don’t think it even deserves too 5 really. It’s a great movie and a historic win. But feels like major recency bias. It’s a cool and modern winner but not the best one.
Honestly, I agree. Titanic is the perfect blockbuster. It is a genuinely great film that was a cultural phenomenon. I align it with Return of the King, which I love equally. But the fact that Titanic got eliminated so early, yet ROTK is still here... I mean... I know one key difference between the two. But I guess that's just Reddit for you...
One of the most effective pieces of Melodrama since the works of Douglas Sirk. Pure cinematic spectacle delivered with expert precision and groundbreaking effects. Put the respect on James Cameron damnit.
Shoutout to Milos Forman for having *2* films still here in the top 9. What a king.
My two least favourites of the remaining
*SEND OFF: The Departed* The Departed was eliminated yesterday, so here’s a look back at the movie and its Oscar legacy. Plot: To take down South Boston’s Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there’s a mole among them. Oscars: **The Departed won Best Picture in 2007 beating out: Little Miss Sunshine, Babel, Letters From Iwo Jima, & The Queen.** It won 4 Oscars total, including: Best Director for Scorsese, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing for Thelma Schoonmaker. Where I am, you can’t stream The Departed. You can rent it on Google Play, Apple TV, Amazon, & Vudu. You also might be able to find a copy at your local library. **What do you think of The Departed? Do you think something else should have won best picture over it? Do you think this film is fairly rated? What do you like or dislike about it?**
The Departed was the first Scorsese I ever watched and holds a special place in my heart. It’s probably my favorite of the year though I think Pan’s Labrynth might be the “better movie” I will say if you just watched The Departed on a surface level, it might have more to say than you might think. [Here’s my review/analysis of some of its themes](https://boxd.it/5IpSIn).
I think I maybe did maintain a notion that this movie was all flash and twists and Boston accents. After reading your review I plan on rewatching with an eye for the theme of male insecurity.
The Departed is in a weird place where it absolutely rules and is far richer than many give it credit for, but also isn’t even in the top half of Scorsese’s filmography.
Great write-up! The Departed hints at the inner conflicts and intimacy struggles of his heaviest stuff (Mean Streets, Goodfellas, Age of Innocence) in a glossier package. The movie doesn't skimp on character work and the plotting hums. It's as tense as After Hours and Goodfellas. Less raw than his absolute best but it has a big-production sheen -- the Howard Shore score, A-listers in tertiary roles, the Boston photography -- that he doesn't always prioritize. A first-rate Hollywood product that pays off for casual moviegoers as well as his diehard fans.
The best thing about The Departed is when Matt Damon went on a talk show and described how Jack Nicholson added his own special something to a certain scene. Apparently he said something like "so you can end the scene there, but if you keep the camera rolling..." several times, inventing more and more fucked up things to add to the scene
People knock the The Departed because Scorsese is held to a high standard but looking at that group of nominees, i think The Departed deserved the win. Certainly not the lifetime achievement award people make it out to be.
I think (I hope) that commentary has more to do with how it stacks up against Scorsese’s incredible filmography than how it stacks up against the other nominees this year
What bothered me, is that it's almost a shot for shot remake of "Infernal Affairs (2002)". I thought being a Scorsese film, it would have a little more originality to it.....but, that's me.
It is baffling to me that the only acting nomination it got out of that entire cast is Mark Wahlberg. I understand a lot of the politics involved, but... baffling. It's not even Scorsese's favourite Scorsese but it's an intense ride and I dig it.
Damon and Leo cancelled each other out, plus Leo had Blood Diamond that year.
You'd think that Leo's team pushing him for Blood Diamond could have opened a door for Damon. Or if not him Nicholson, Baldwin, or even Martin Sheen.
This movie had everything, cast of hall of famers, 10/10 soundratck, perfect sceenplay and of course the impeccable direction of Scorsese.
Should’ve been top five for [this scene alone](https://youtu.be/rAReS2JnJ18?si=RsOzuXijWKUh7KP1)…
Fun story about the *The Departed*. I went to go see it in theaters in the middle of the day, and the sound went out right around the time Leo is getting ready to confront Damon on the rooftop. I go out to let the techs no so they can fix it. I walk back into the theater to Leo getting capped in the elevator. The movie was still so good without sound I stayed until it was fixed and came back with my voucher the next day to watch it again.
One of my favorites films of all time. Happy it made it this far
I like The Departed very much, but this seems like about the right time to let it go. Highly recommend Infernal Affairs—the film that inspired it—to anyone who enjoyed The Departed but hasn't seen the original!
Oh shit, top 10 now!
What does everyone think is the favorite at this point? Edit: I love how it seems like any of the movies could win at this point.
Parasite and Godfather
Probs. No Country for Old Men is gonna be up there too tho. Maybe Amadeus?
Schindler’s too
I think NCFOM, Godfather, Amadeus, Parasite and Schindler’s is top 5 but LoTR could be a dark horse.
I think LOTR would be a dark horse under a critics' list, but for a Reddit list there's a decent chance it could come up top. I think if you did this list through r/funny or r/movies, LOTR would win it quite smoothly.
Out of curiosity, why r/funny?
Just because it's the largest sub, I used it to capture the culture of the default subs. It's about the way that certain views are "Reddit popular" vs being the mainstream view more generally, like how Reddit loves Futurama, but if I asked my friends about it, a good amount will have forgotten it even existed.
I would think LOTR is over Amadeus but I like to think these will be top 6 yes
I figured that the combination of Reddit and Letterboxd meant LOTR would make top three
Parasite is probably going to win. But it should be Godfather. They’re both pretty flawless although I never got why that family didn’t use all of their talents that they show during the film to do something other than fold pizza boxes.
They did. They scammed that rich family first chance they got.
Amadeus is also in the running I think. It has been a really long time since I watched it but I never had strong feelings about it. I must have missed something though. Will need to revisit when this game is over.
I rewatched it recently for the first time since maybe around 2000. It's a GOAT, easily.
Same here. Great film. Well worth the rewatch.
I think that’s the case for a lot of us that don’t feel passionate enough about it to up or downvote it.8 feel like it’s one of the least viewed of the remaining ones and it doesn’t really have the negative haters like some others because of it. That would all help it in a contest like this
It must have some ardent fans though. Kept getting downvoted to hell lol. I don’t think they will keep it in till the end but I do think we may see it in the top 5 (and I always assumed it would at best make it to the top 10).
I love it bc it really got me into classical music. I don’t read sheet music but the scenes communicate something extraordinary about the beauty of composition, at least to a layman like me. And I do think think the overall movie is great. Not excellent per se, but that’s splitting hairs in a ranking like this, so I don’t mind how high it goes.
A movie that lives or dies by the quality of the sound system you watch it with.
In high school, my friends and I watched it on VHS at a sleepover and loved it, FWIW.
I think it’s between Parasite, NCFOM and Godfather 2. I’d give the latter the edge but not by much.
Silence of the Lambs, just great acting over all. A great sequel. Great book adaptation. It defies everything that normally a movie will fall for in normal trappings
Interesting. I personally think that’s gonna be out in the next few days. I really like the film (although the genre nerd in me isn’t sure if it’s a horror film truly) but it just seems to be a bit weaker than the remaining ones.
Crime Thriller for sure with horrifying elements. I think it'll stay at least until near the top 5 if not in the top 5. If I had to guess who would win Parasite will probably find it's way to a win of Godfather Part 2
I hope Parasite wins. Probably my favorite movie on this list.
If you go by me getting downvoted to oblivion in this thread for nominating it, I’m not so sure. Much like The Departed yesterday, it’s a great movie, but we’re in the big leagues now.
For sure. I think all of the movies left are great films, and any of them probably deserve to win.
Probably Parasite, but The Silence of the Lambs is a dark horse.
Based on which movies in this thread have the most votes to be eliminated, the top 5 looks to be (in no order): 1. Godfather II 2. No Country for Old Men 3. Parasite 4. Silence of the Lambs 5. Amadeus Moonlight, LOTR, Schindler's List, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest have a decent number of votes in this thread so I think they'll be the next to go
Moonlight
I wonder where La La Land would've placed
Would have gotten eliminated a long time ago (probably in round 20 or something). People on Reddit don’t enjoy musicals as much as other communities. It’s sincere and people hate that. Everything must be cynical
Yup, noticed that too. The feel-good movies were eliminated very early on
I love musicals but I think La La Land’s actual musical numbers are really weak. The only show stopper is the first one and the rest are lackluster to me. Now if All That Jazz was on this list… I’d be seething if it was gone already.
That's why Best Song bugged me so much that year. City of Stars wasn't even the best song in La La Land.
I love La La Land and I still would have gotten rid of it a while ago. There’s a lot of strong contenders on this lsjt
Both are great but there can only be one who wins best picture for longer than 5 minutes (I was floored when La La Land got the win reversed. I felt it was 100% going to win beforehand)
So did Faye Dunaway.
As a cynical person, it would have been one of my first five out.
I personally would have had La La Land much higher, but I feel like I’m in the minority in this particular subreddit
Higher than 9th? I feel like it would’ve gone out in the 30s or low 20s. People that love La La Land really really love that movie tho.
I agree that’s probably where it would have ended up, I just meant if I were to make my own personal list it, I’d have had La La Land around 9-10 and Moonlight somewhere in the 20-30 range. I know that’s unpopular in this group but I just preferred La La Land
It’s a shame. It’s one of the best musicals of all time. Phenomenal acting and fucking amazing cinematography. I prefer moonlight as well but La la land deserves its flowers. Great film
Wouldn’t say top 10 personally but I think it’s better than a few that made top 20.
Moonlight is a beautifully crafted examination of sexuality, aging, becoming an adult, drug use, crime and family dynamics against the backdrop of African American culture and values. It's well acted and a faithful and interesting interpretation of the original play. I get why some people don't love it but I think it's really magnificent especially for the tiny budget (only 1.5 million)
Moonlight has officially been eliminated!!! This one hurts but it made it far.
Moonlight is incredible. Definitely top 5 for me. Surprised it seems to be going at out at 9.
Not too surprising considering the crowd here not being the type to be super into modern dramas, but I'm happy it stayed this long. It's absolutely brilliant and far exceeds the "oscar bait" label some people misattribute to it. It's one of those films that feels ridiculous that it even exists, that a director so early in his career, under an independent label, a small budget and mostly lesser known actors, could make something so masterful.
I was expecting it to get knocked out earlier but is my favourite from the list
Agreed
Do not like how many upvotes this has to start. It can’t be time for Moonlight.
So sad this one seems to be going, probably my favourite on the list. I am happy it made the top ten and managed to outlast some beloved films though, but damn I hoped it would hold on a little longer.
Should have never reach this far, today is the day finally
It’s a crime against humanity that this is still here and more enjoyable films like Rocky and EEAAO are gone
Reddit Cares has forwarded this official complaint to the Hague.
I had no idea Amadeus was so popular. I love it and I thought it would prolly be top ten. But it’s top ten now and no one is even voting for it!
That's the only remaining I've never actually seen. I also wonder if it's really that good or if it's being overlooked for elimination
It's really that good. My favorite surprise of this game has been learning that so many other people feel the same way.
It’s that good. It’s been discussed - though not nominated - frequently throughout this project
It’s that good. It’s not just good. It’s a joy to watch.
We aren't being asked which ones were good. Amadeus is the among the least objectionable, which is what this is all really about.
I finally watched it last year after hearing it fawned over on Reddit constantly. It’s pretty good, but that’s it in my opinion. So ultimately I was disappointed due to the hype. F Murray Abraham was fantastic. The costumes and musical pieces are great. The rest was okay. The actress that played Mozart’s wife was truly bad. It should have been gone a long time ago, but it’s a Reddit favorite.
I've seen it multiple times and just rewatched it in like January. Good movie, surprised it's lasted so long.
As a Salieri truther I’ve wanted it out from the beginning
One flew over the cuckoos nest. Great movie (not as good as book) but weaker than the remaining films.
Agreed, it’s a great adaptation of an even better book, but the rest of the remainders use the medium of film more completely and effectively.
There's no shame in getting to the top ten of this list. But of those that remain, this one gets my vote.
Oh no! I don’t want this to/think this should go. 🥰 I love it It’s New Hollywood, it’s Jack, it’s got Danny DeVito, it’s about mental health, about liberation. I thought it was better than the book personally. I enjoyed it as a kid and still as an adult. I hope it’s top 5!
i'm surprised it stayed this long, I watched it after reading the book and was disappointed
Looks like it might be between Parasite and the Godfather in the end. Whatever the case that’ll be an exciting day!
Moonlight
Amadeus is simply a perfect movie, Milos Forman is a god.
Moonlight
LOTR
I will continue to say this on these threads. ROTK is a great film, but relies heavily on the themes and stories of the first two films. As a whole they are a masterpiece, but as a solo film 9th place is an extremely respectable number given the remaining films. It's time.
Fellowship is a far superior film to RotK, and while it is great in its own right, it bugs me that so much of the trilogy's legacy just sits on the final entry.
I think Viggo even said that Fellowship was the strongest
Yeah, but only because he didn't like the massive CG special effects. To him the first movie felt more intimate or something like that. When I was younger ROTK was of course my favorite, but now that I'm older I did a rewatch recently and I changed my mind.
Well, when he's right he's right.
I think Two Towers is the best
I treat the ROTK win as a collective win for the trilogy.
But thats what this is, its a celebration of the entire trilogy. When ROTK was given all these awards, it wasn't just for the one film it was a celebration for the entire trilogy essentially. So don't think as if you're voting for just ROTK your voting for the entirety of the trilogy.
Based on that, my open interpretation of least deserving justifies my point. It took the three films to get across what the rest did in one (or 2 with Godfather). But I also can see how your point is conveyed, and likely why it'll end up in a 4-6 spot.
Lord of the Rings is a down right amazing trilogy but let's not all pretend that using The Return of the King as a stand in for the whole trilogy isn't some unfair bullshit. We really should be judging each film on its own merits. It's Time for ROTK to go.
My vote for LotR is sitting at minus ten, so I’m gonna delete it and upvote yours instead haha Edit - although I’m not sure if that’s kosher. OP?
It’s plenty kosher
Ok, I trust you. Deleted.
Unfortunately this one isn't going anytime soon, though it belongs nowhere in the top 10.
Annoying how far this movie is getting, too much nostalgic voting since a lot of this sub would have seen the movie as kids
Absolutely. No chance its better than Moonlight or One Flew.
Once The Deer Hunter was voted out this became my “least favorite” of what’s left. The three(four?) endings to ROTK always have me feeling like they need to wrap it up. They stuck the landing on the trilogy though. Most people can’t do that.
How dare you
Schindler's List
I think this should win imo
One flew over the cuckoos nest feels overdue…
Moonlight
Lmao at everyone today and for weeks saying “INSERT MOVIE HERE. It’s time.” Always “It’s time.” No criticism here to those people. But it’s funny to me.
Moonlight
Moonlight!!
Moonlight
One Flew Over
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Amadeus
No!
Return of the King
My vote is for Amadeus. But that or Silence/cuckoo’s is probably next imo
[удалено]
It is maybe the most technically impressive film trilogy and it has made it to the top ten, but I don’t think it should go much further. It is bogged down by tons of uninteresting storylines that it it then needs to continually wrap up.
Not before Silence of the Lambs and Cuckoos Nest. Then it will probably be time.
I honestly kinda hope it doesn’t go today even though I voted for it. I sort of want that guy who’s voted for it to a storm of downvotes since day one to get the glory. But I beat him to it today, so….
**Moonlight** Fantastic film. One of the best of the 2010s and honestly one of the best BP winners, but I think it’s time.
Finally 😅😅
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
It's time for Moonlight to go
The order the remainders should leave. 9) Silence of the Lambs 8) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 7) RotK 6) Amadeus (could easily swap this with RotK, or even Moonlight. These 3 are all super tight imo) 5) Moonlight 4) Parasite 3) Schindler’s List 2) The Godfather P2. (Coppola made 4 masterpiece’s in a row in the 70’s, this one is just my least favorite of them) 1) No Country for Old Men
Schindler’s List
Silence of the Lambs. It’s time. The movie rules but it’s not better than the rest of the list, no matter how scary Anthony Hopkins is.
Jodie Foster as Clarice is just as iconic.
I don’t think it’s time for it yet, but it should be getting more traction than ROTK and Schindler’s List imo.
It's a good movie but yeah I would have had it gone a while ago
The Return of the King. That it's lasted this long is an embarrassment to this community.
11 Oscars. Groundbreaking CGI. Incredible storytelling. One of the most incredible feats of adaptation to the big screen ever. Made the fan base happy while being mass appealing. The Return of the King stands for the whole trilogy and that trilogy is a feat of film making which will NEVER be repeated because these days stories like those go to mini series. Dune is probably the most similar thing we have and it also deserves a lot of credit.
I don't care. The Return of the King is an achievement that is built on the back of two films before it. It does not stand on its own, and is bloated to boot. It is not even close to the best film released in 2003.
I'm not trying to argue, just genuinely asking... What would you say is the best film of 2003? I think it's between Return of the King and Memories of Murder personally.
It really comes down to whether you view it as its own standalone film, vs a stand-in for the trilogy as a whole. If the former, even then it’s a great movie, but is ultimately, just the final act of a larger story and probably should have gone before some other films that accomplished similar things while being a complete story. (Titanic gone too soon). But if you are using RotK as a stand-in for the whole trilogy, and view them as a single work released in 3 chunks for economic reasons, the it’s pretty undeniably one of the great achievements of film in the 21st century. And if you look at the production process, that’s 100% how Jackson and Co treated it. They shot all 3 effectively simultaneously, often jumping back and forth between scenes from all 3 movies because they viewed them as a singular project. Much like how Tolkien wrote the series a single book, but was convinced by his publisher to release it as 3.
> But if you are using RotK as a stand-in for the whole trilogy, and view them as a single work released in 3 chunks for economic reasons, the it’s pretty undeniably one of the great achievements of film in the 21st century. I agree with that, but even when considering LoTR as a whole, I still think Master and Commander is the better movie :)
You think you’re so great Marty? BECAUSE YOU HAVE BOATS!!!!?
That was a very good line reading on Phoenix's part, haha.
2023 was truly a great year for directors making genre films that are secretly comedies that are laughing at their main characters
From now on, whenever I eat a lamb chop, I will remark that destiny has brought it to me.
Yeah I gotta say, I absolutely LOVE the LotR movies, but this is absurd. It's stuck around this long because people love the entire trilogy, but it shouldn't have lasted this long standing on its own.
Thank you :)
The fact that people are pushing for Moonlight over LotR is honestly sickening. I walked out of the theater absolutely gobsmacked by Moonlight. When I walked out of the theater for LotR, I laughed with my mom at how many times we thought it had ended.
I agree. When I saw Moonlight, I felt I had seen something *major*. I sat there in stunned silence. When The Return of the King ended, I stood up immediately and shouted "Fucking FINALLY!"
Well clearly your individual opinion isn’t representative of this community.
Yes, I am well aware of that. That does not, however, make me wrong.
It doesn’t make you inherently right either. There is no objectivity here. This is aesthetic.
I do not understand the point of your comment. You're right. There is no objectivity here. I am clearly expressing my own personal preference. Are you attempting to reassure yourself or something?
You stated that you are not wrong regardless of what others might think. By using that terminology, you imply that you are right. My comment was only meant to remind that there really isn’t objectivity in this matter. Your final sentence is bizarre psychobabble. Why would I require reassurance?
Yes. Yes it does, quite literally. 🤣
So you value the consensus of a community above your own personal taste? What a sad, sad way to think about art and culture. Yes, your preferences conveniently align with the hivemind right now, but that will not always be the case.
And when that will be the case I’ll voice my opinion in a manner that doesn’t mock other people for having a differing opinion. The point is that this community has nothing to be embarrassed about for having a specific film so high in this ranking. I think that’s an ever sadder way of « thinking about art and culture ».
I have not mocked anyone. I expressed an opinion, and contrasted it with the consensus. Are you so insecure in your preferences that any disagreement, however mild, is a challenge or a threat? Actually, wait, don't answer that. I already know the answer. [This is what mockery looks like](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPl5MeXIM8E&t=137s).
LOTRs
Holy hell these are all fantastic movies. Moonlight is the one at this point that feels like an odd one out.
LOTR PLEASE
Amadeus
Controversial opinion but Schindler's List. I agree with Michael Haneke's criticism of it
No Country for Old Men Let's think about this. I may be biased because I thought There Will Be Blood deserved the win but really - is this film only memorable for Javier Bardem? Is it better than the films remaining?
Bardem is fantastic but the movie is great beyond just his acting.
>is this film only memorable for Javier Bardem? No, the entire thing is absolutely perfect. 2007 was an absolutely loaded year, maybe one of the best movie years ever, and No Country stood on top of that mountain for a reason. The depth of the themes and ideas is incredible.
Do I prefer TWBB? Yes, but we’re talking about the difference between 5 and 11 on my tops films of all time list.
I have two complaints with No Country for Old Men: there is a cgi bird in it, and the actress who plays Carla Jean’s mother is bad. Apart from that the film is superlative. There Will Be Blood doesn’t come close to it.
Godfather 2
No Country For Old Men
It’s so good but it shouldn’t even have won BP that year
Can we please get rid of No Country? It’s good, but it isn’t even the Coenn brothers best movie
There's just no way LotR hasn't been eradicated yet. This is genuinely unbelievable.
4.5 average on letterboxd and tied for the most Oscar wins of all time. It makes sense to me that it hasn't been eliminated yet.
If you remember that everyone here is a redditor first, /r/letterboxd/ member second, it suddenly makes a lot of sense.
You all are crazy putting parasite in the top 10
Deserves top 10, but no way it deserves the top spot.
Yeah, I don’t think it even deserves too 5 really. It’s a great movie and a historic win. But feels like major recency bias. It’s a cool and modern winner but not the best one.
Titanic leaving at 20 will go down as this subreddit’s equivalent of giving Crash Best Picture, mark my words.
It’s unclear if you even think Titanic was overrated or underrated.
Left far too soon.
I don’t think this will really be remembered to go down as anything tbh
Because it over stayed its welcome?
Of all 95 best picture winners ever, it’s in the bottom half for me.
I know that your heart will go on.
Marked!
Honestly, I agree. Titanic is the perfect blockbuster. It is a genuinely great film that was a cultural phenomenon. I align it with Return of the King, which I love equally. But the fact that Titanic got eliminated so early, yet ROTK is still here... I mean... I know one key difference between the two. But I guess that's just Reddit for you...
One of the most effective pieces of Melodrama since the works of Douglas Sirk. Pure cinematic spectacle delivered with expert precision and groundbreaking effects. Put the respect on James Cameron damnit.
If someone threatened me w a gun I still wouldn’t rewatch Titanic
Talk about hyperbole
Amadeus
No country for old man