Your first top 10 and your current top 10: how do they compare, and what changed it?

[zeppelin]

I don't know if any of you remember the first time you ever made a top 10 list, but if you do, how does it compare to your current one? And don't just post both lists and leave it at that. Tell what caused the changes...are the new additions all movies you hadn't seen back then? What do you think of the movies on your old list nowadays? Just stuff like that.

My original top 10:
1. Raging Bull
2. Rashomon
3. Do the Right Thing
4. Citizen Kane
5. Double Indemnity
6. Taxi Driver
7. La Strada
8. Apocalypse Now
9. 2001: A Space Odyssey
10. Goodfellas

My current top 10:
1. The Godfather
2. Midnight Cowboy
3. Paris, Texas
4. Manhattan
5. Hannah and Her Sisters
6. Do the Right Thing
7. This Is Spinal Tap
8. Annie Hall
9. Seven Samurai
10. Some Like it Hot

Alright, so the only movie that the two lists have in common is Do the Right Thing, which is a movie that profoundly affected me when I first saw it, and still has the power to get a strong reaction out of me today. It slipped 3 positions, but it's still there.

Of the other 9 movies on my new list, only 3 of them were movies that I had not seen when I made my first one, which are #3, 4, and 5. Of the 6 that I had seen back then, it's just a matter of me growing to appreciate and love them more. The Godfather took me a while to really get into, though I always liked it. Midnight Cowboy, when I first saw it, depressed the living hell out of me, to the point that I couldn't get passed that and realize what a great movie it is. This Is Spinal Tap is a movie that includes tons and tons of subtle jokes, so the more I watched it and picked up on those little things, the more I loved it. Annie Hall was just outside of my original top 10, as I recall. It was probably in my top 15. Seven Samurai had me loving it even more as soon as I was able to watch it on a big screen, and that's what advanced it to my top 10. And Some Like it Hot was, I believe, in my top 20 back then, but I've moved it up to the top 10 upon realizing that it just does not get old.

Now for the movies that used to be there, but are gone now. Raging Bull is still in my top 20. My love for it has not decreased, it's just that my love for the movies occupying the list now have increased. Rashomon is in my top 100, but barely holding on. It's in the 90's somewhere, but to be in my top 100 now is worth infinitely more than it was back then, so I still love it to death. I remember making that list almost immediately after seeing CItizen Kane for the first time, so its placement is sort of a result of the first-time buzz. I still like it a lot, though I've dropped my rating of it down to *** 1/2 (out of 4). To be honest, I have not watched Double Indemnity since way back then, so I think that may only be a matter of the movie slipping from my mind. I still remember it very clearly, and the more I think about it, the more I want to see it again. Maybe it will get boosted up again, but right now, it's just outside my top 100. La Strada and Goodfellas are both still in my top 50, and Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, and 2001 are still in my top 100, so I still love all of those movies.

[TylerDurden182]

The oldest Top 10 I can think of:

1. Fight Club
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Donnie Darko
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5. The Usual Suspects
6. Reservoir Dogs
7. Memento
8. Edward Scissorhands
9. Raging Bull
10. The Boondock Saints

My Current Top 10

1. Fight Club
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
3. Taxi Driver
4. Magnolia
5. Apocalypse Now
6. Memento
7. A Clockwork Orange
8. Pulp Fiction
9. Goodfellas
10. Requiem For A Dream

Let's start with the new list:

Fight Club- I would be surprised if ANY movie can replace it as my number 1.
2001- Hadn't seen it at the time of the first list.
Taxi Driver- Thought it was good, not great the first time I saw it. I re-watched it and loved it.
Magnolia- Hated it the first time I saw it, but re-watched it and fell in love with it.
Apocalypse Now- The first time I sat down to watch it I couldn't get through it all, not because it wasn't good but because of the running time and my schedule.
Memento- Moved up one spot upon a re-watch.
A Clockwork Orange- See Taxi Driver.
Pulp Fiction- Still love it to death. It could move it's way back into the top 5.
Goodfellas- See 2001.
Requiem For A Dream- Was at number 11, but it deserves to be in my top 10.

The Old List:

Donnie Darko- Still love it. It resides in my Top 50.
Eternal Sunshine- In my Top 20 now.
The Usual Suspects- Also in my Top 20.
Reservoir Dogs- In my Top 50.
Edward Scissorhands- In my Top 50.
Raging Bull- Now my number 11.
The Boondock Saints- In my Top 100.

[Badbird]

My first top ten would probably be something like this:

Disney's Robin Hood
The Secret of Nimh
The Terminator
Tron
Blue Thunder
Watership Down
Commando
Rambo II
Transformers The Movie
Ghostbuster

In other words... I was ten.

Current list (see if you can spot the diffrences):

Equilibrium
Face/Off
The Matrix
The Rock
Predator 2
The Crow
Last Action Hero
Strange Days
The Secret of Nimh
The Abyss*

*May get bumbed by Cronicles of Narnia at some point

[Hannibal21]

The oldest list that I remember being more or less "official": (in alphabetical order)
All About Eve
Casablanca
Citizen Kane
E.T.
The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Schindler's List
Some Like it Hot
2001: A Space Odyssey

Current list:
All About Eve
Casablanca
Citizen Kane
Double Indemnity
Rebecca
Sunset Boulevard
Swing Time
2001: A Space Odyssey
Vertigo
Wild Strawberries

Eve, Blanca, Kane, and Da Odyssey are the four movies that both lists have in common. The latter was so impressive upon first viewing that it immediately inspired me to make a new list, and I only got to appreciate the film more with subsequent viewings. The former 3 have been among my favorites for as long as I can remember, and the more I watch them, the more I am certain that the positions they hold in my top 10 are secured.

Of the ones that entered:
Double Indemnity - I have always loved this movie to death even when I wasn't THAT big a fan of Film Noir. It's been in my top 20 for years, but repeated viewings and a tremendously growing appreciation for the Noir genre have advanced this film up into the top 10.
Rebecca - The most memorable movie experience I have ever had in my life was probably with this movie (well, 2001 comes to mind as well), but in spite of that, the film always manages to slip my mind whenever I go out of my way to make a "favorites" list. I corrected that, however, when I viewed it a second time and fell in love with it all over again. It ended up in my top 20, then in my top 10 when I saw it again, and my love for it has been increasing ever since.
Sunset Boulevard - I was blown a-fucking-way by this classic the first time I saw it, and had no hesitation of putting it in my top 20 (it almost made the top 10 too, falling in at # 13). And, well, it's the same old story...........growing appreciation with repeated viewings.
Swing Time - For me, when it came to movie musicals, this film (along with other Fred/Ginger movies) has always lived under the shadows on Singin' in the Rain, until I rewatched it for the 3rd time last year and realized that I love it more than Rain. It found a way into my top 20 and stayed there few months, but I just couldn't stop watching those song & dance sequences, so I moved it up a few spots.
Vertigo - I've had profound memories of this film for so many years, before I even started making top 100 lists. But when I finally decided to make one, those memories just sort of dissolved, and the position that Vertigo held wasn't nearly as high as it is now. A second and third viewing compelled me to bump it up by more than quite a margin, and it just kept on moving up ever since because the story just always seems so new and fresh, no matter how many times I watch it.
Wild Strawberries - The only film I hadn't seen when I arranged an initial top 10. But, like Sunset Boulevard, it also blew me away upon first viewing, so I put it in my top 10. It's been there ever since.

Of the ones that USED to be here:
E.T. - It's still very nostalgic, obviously. A 10/10 for sure. One of my 10 favorites? Not quite. I was MADLY in love with this film at the time I posted my old list, so that's the best explanation for its initial appearance.
The Godfather - Make no mistake, I probably still love it as much as every other viewer out there, but there are simply so many movies I have grown to prefer over it. It's currently in my top 50, but barely holding on.
The Godfather Part II - See The Godfather.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Another film I was gushing over when I arranged my initial list, but it has held up better than E.T. It's currently in my top 30, the highest ranked film that was made in the 70's.
Schindler's List - Currently, it's floating at the bottom of my top 20 somewhere. I still think it's as powerful as the first time I saw it though, so I would still consider it to be "one of the best movies ever made", although the only 'reason' I can think of it being bumped down a notch or two is due to its subject matter, which doesn't make it a movie that I could watch as frequently as some of the others on my list.
Some Like it Hot - Still a masterpiece. It holds the highest position out of all the other movies that have "fallen out", at #11, just barely making the top 10 and not in any possible danger of falling anywhere below that spot.

[sAtAn666]

My current top 10:

01. 8 1/2
02. Apocalypse Now
03. Once Upon A Time In The West
04. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
05. Koyaanisqatsi
06. Citizen Kane
07. The Shining
09. Vertigo
10. The Empire Strikes Back

My first top 10:

01. The Empire Strikes Back
02. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
03. Aliens
04. Pulp Fiction
05. Se7en
06. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
07. Metropolis
08. Kill Bill vol. 1
09. Psycho
20. Brazil

My first top 10...eek. I was about in my early-to-mid teens when I made it. Brazil and Metropolis are masterpieces but they're in my top 20 instead of my top 10 now. You may find it surprising that something as old as Metropolis is in there but I was (and still am) a big sci-fi geek, I watched anything and everything science fiction. In fact, I'm surprised that there aren't more sci-fi films on there.

I still consider Psycho and Se7en masterpieces, but they're more like Top 30 standard, I think. Holy Grail is still great fun, but Life of Brian is a much better film, and is probably in my top 20. I'd also just like to add that Se7en (and Fight Club) is a bit overrated round these parts. It's a great film, but not - in my opinion - top 5 material at all, and the Fincher love on this site is a bit too crazy sometimes...

Pulp Fiction and Aliens - these won't even get in my top fifty now.:rolleyes: Incredibly overrated, but are still good. Both are 7/10. I like Temple of Doom (I used to think it was the best because it was "dark". I hate that adjective now), but now I see that it is definately the weakest Indiana Jones, and Raiders is the best (which is in my top thirty).

Kill Bill vol. 1...:o yeah, I went through a Tarantino worship phase, but I guess that every movie fan does that.

Oh yeah, and Empire Strikes Back...that was my favourite movie. I can see now that it's not really the best sci-fi ever...but it's probably still the most entertaining. Like Jaws (in top 20), it was a film I watched what felt like over 200 times when I was younger, and I still enjoy it now. I've always loved Star Wars and always will. Except for the prequels, they sucked.:D

[Gordon]

This was a good thread that deserves to be brought back. So here's what changed for me:

Original List:
1. Clockwork Orange
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Citizen Kane
4. Dr. Strangelove
5. 2001: A Space Odessy
6. Godfather Part I
7. Shawshank Redemption
8. Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back
9. Apocolypse Now
10. Fight Club

Current List (Aprox.):

1.Once Upon a Time in the West
2. Brazil
3. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
4. Taxi Driver
5. Paris, Texas
6. Fulltime Killer
7. Pulp Fiction
8. Shawshank Redmeption
9. 2001: A Space Odyssey
10. Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane, 2001: A Space Odessy, and Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction are the only ones that remain the same on both lists. So less then half/ Let's start at the top.

Clockwork Orange: A great film and I still love it but after watching it over a few more times I realized how much it drags in certain parts. There are a couple places in it that are boring, and quite frankly, a top ten favorite movie should always grab you by the balls and not let go.
Dr. Strangelove: It's a very funny movie, no doubt, but I think after watching more of Kubrick's movies it just sort of made it's way off the list somehow.
Godfather Part I: Not as huge of a fan of either Godfather's anymore. I can't really tell you why other then that tastes change - and I just don't take them as seriously anymore.
Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back: Every kid loves Star Wars. But after you stop loving it as a pop culture experience and look at it as a movie it's not nearly as good as you thought it was.
Apocolypse Now:
Fight Club: It hovers around my top twenty somewhere, it's really good, but I now realise there have been better.

But what about the ones that stayed:


Citizen Kane: Brilliant movie. First time I watched it I loved it for it's story, characters, and dialogue. Even now that I know more about film I love it for it's directing, acting, choreography, etc.
2001: A Space Odessy: It doesn't matter how many times you watch this movie - everytime you watch it it's a new film. You see things you didn't see before, or think about the same scene differently.
Shawshank Redemption: To be honost I don't even know why it's in my top ten still. If I ever figure out why I love it I'll come back here.
Pulp Fiction: There many levels to enjoy Pulp Fiction at and as time progresses I enjoy it for deeper reasons. In my first list it was probably just for the dialogue, the guns, the obsessive use of 'fuck'. But as I grew older, saw more movies, I understand the pop culture refrences, the movie refrences, the stories of redemption and salvation.

However there are of course flaws in my current list. I need to go back and watch ALL of Hitchcock's films because in the past two years the only one I can remember watching off the top of my head is The Birds. So that means I'm basing my current list off of old tastes.

[Pulp_Joker]

Oldest list I ever made on this site
1.Pulp Fiction
2.Ghostbusters
3.Casablanca
4.Kill Bill Vol.1
5.Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai
6.Lawrence of Arabia
7.The Shawshank Redemption
8.The Godfather
9.High Fidelity
10.Reservoir Dogs

Newest list I have made
1.Apocalypse Now
2.The Third Man
3.Casablanca
4.The Good The Bad and The Ugly
5.Citizen Kane
6.Lawrence of Arabia
7.Paris, Texas
8.Touch of Evil
9.Dr. Strangelove...
10.Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai

There was quite a change in the two lists: Only Ghost Dog, Casablanca, and Lawrence of Arabia remain on the list and Lawrence and Casablanca are still in their respective spots.

A lot of the films that made the list were films I had not seen at time of the first list, so that bumped most of the first list off. However, most of the first Top 10 are still in my Top 20-30.
Overview of the films that made the Top 10.
1.Apocalypse Now-Everything works in this film for me. What made it great is I feel that I have been to Vietnam afetr seeing this film, the complexity, the aura, the general confusion surrounding everything in the film for the characters makes it great.
2.The Third Man-The direction to the acting to the story is absolutely brilliant. All I know is I can watch this film every single day and not be bored by it.
4. The Good The Bad and the Ugly-What can I say that hasn't already been said. The final seen is pure cinematic brilliance that can't be topped. The whole film feels like an opera with the way the music supports the acting.
5. Citizen Kane-The greatest film ever made by the greatest director. I have grown to appreciate this film over time and adore eveything about it.
7. Paris, Texas-A beautiful portrait of America and to the human soul. Stanton is amazing and the final scene with him and his wife is one of the most touching scenes I have ever scene.
8. Touch of Evil-Finally Welles was given some control on a film (first since Kane) and he shows what a brilliant artist he was. The beginning crane sequence is the greatest ever and even though I have repeatadly bashed Heston's supposed attempt at Mexican, it is a great performance and Welles is even better as Quinlan.
9.Strangelove-my fav. Kubrick film. Funny, timely for its age and even now in subject matter, it shows the absurdity of war and nuclear war mostly, and contains Sellers best performance(s).

The films that got shoved out-
Pulp Ficton-the film is still one of my favs and is still a great film, but is has just gotten pushed out of the way.
Ghostbusters-this was always a nostalgic pick more than anything and is starting to fall just a bit.
Kill Bill-This has fallen pretty far down the list, I still love it just not as much as I used to.
Shawshank-same as Bill
Godfather-still in my Top 15, just been elbowed out.
High Fidelity-same as Godafther
Reservoir Dogs-the only one to probably fall completely out of my Top 100. I have just falen out of love with it. I like it, but I have seen better from Tarantino, and will again. Just a film you love a couple of years ago, and not much today.

[Annie Hall]

My initial Top 10 probably included (in alphabetical order):

~Almost Famous
~American Beauty
~Annie Hall
~Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
~Ghost World
~Godfather Part II, The
~L.A. Confidential
~Say Anything...
~Sting, The
~Usual Suspects, The

My top 10 as it stands now (in alphabetical order):

~Almost Famous
~Annie Hall
~Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
~Graduate, The
~Harold and Maude
~I <3 Huckabees
~Hudsucker Proxy, The
~Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
~Third Man, The
~Trainspotting

Truth be told, I've just seen more movies. My tastes and views have shifted, and I've been exposed to more. Not to say I don't still love every movie on that initial top 10, I have just seen a larger variety of flicks.

[RandalGraves]

New top ten:

1. Commando
2. The Blues Brothers
3. Clerks 2 <added this year
4. Grandma's Boy <added this year
5. Broken Arrow
6. Waiting <recently added
7. Collateral
8. Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back
9. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
10. The Departed <added this year

[blankpage]

Older list:

1. Annie Hall
2. Seven Samurai
3. Amadeus
4. L.A. Confidential
5. Jaws
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey
7. The Shawshank Redemption
8. Taxi Driver
9. On the Waterfront
10. Manhattan


Current list:

1. Jaws
2. City Lights
3. Citizen Kane
4. Annie Hall
5. The Godfather
6. Seven Samurai
7. The Best Years of Our Lives
8. Casablanca
9. Raiders of the Lost Ark
10. Goodfellas


Cause of change was new viewings (City Lights, Best Years of Our Lives), re-watches (Raiders, Citizen Kane, Godfather. Goodfellas), and tastes changing (shift with Jaws, Annie Hall, etc.) I still love all the films from the original list, and are still in my top 50 or so.

[Le_Big_Mac]

My current top ten:

1. Taxi Driver
2. A Clockwork Orange
3. The Lady Vanishes
4. Pulp Fiction
5. The Bridge on the River Kwai
6. Dazed and Confused
7. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
8. Badlands
9. Reservoir Dogs
10. Casualties of War

The earliest top 10 I can remember (the way I remember it):

1. Pulp Fiction
2. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
3. The Godfather
4. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
5. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
6. Scarface (1983)
7. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
8. Kill Bill Volume 2
9. Kill Bill Volume 1
10. Carlito's Way

Obviously, I've seen a lot of great movies since. And some of my tastes have increased a little bit.