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    JohnMcClanesSmirkCamille Dodero
    7/29/13 6:56pm

    Love me Spike but is this list a masterclass in B-side snobbery... Mean Streets instead of Goodfellas? Come on! Mean Streets is a great audition film but a totally incoherent mess, Goodfellas pretty much defined 90s cinema in one coke fueled climax.

    Badlands over Thin Red Line - Malik's cinematic orgy of spiritual exaltation?

    Touch of Evil over Citizen Kane?! Citizen Kane is literally the definition of a perfect film (and for good reason). Touch of Evil was the cinematic equivalent of Elvis comeback concert in Hawaii. Great, but living off a lot of past glory.

    What's next, he's gonna tell me his favorite Spike Lee film is Bamboozled when we all know it's Malcolm X or Do the Right Thing (or dark horse Crooklyn)?

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      Cam/ronJohnMcClanesSmirk
      7/29/13 7:01pm

      Mean Streets was actually a major influence on Lee.

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      JohnMcClanesSmirkCam/ron
      7/29/13 7:05pm

      I actually loved it too, but it is a totally academic movie. I've tried to get people to watch it because I think its just fucking cool but so far all have demanded I turn it off. It has literally no plot. But, you're right its a personal list so that's unfair. Also, I put Goodfellas on a golden pedestal so I find its omission prima facie offensive.

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    Rich JuzwiakCamille Dodero
    7/29/13 6:50pm

    Legit surprised that Do the Right Thing isn't on here. These days, modesty from public figures is more surprising than arrogance (not that it would be arrogant to put that movie on this list — it's deserving).

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      Camille DoderoRich Juzwiak
      7/29/13 7:12pm

      Agree that Do The Right Thing belongs on any such list, but maybe he gets around this by just putting it on the syllabus. Total speculation here and I'm sure somebody reading this post has more reliable information, but he'd certainly be referencing his own work in the class, so I would imagine a selected list of his films were (obviously) required?

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      kimbersaysRich Juzwiak
      7/29/13 7:35pm

      One of my favorite movies of all time. Such a great, great film.

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    AgentExampleCamille Dodero
    7/29/13 6:53pm

    I agree with these, but I would also add some animated films just because I'm a giant kid who is still moved by Bambi and The Land Before Time.

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      xeagarAgentExample
      7/29/13 7:13pm

      I was disappointed in the lack of Ghibli.

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      The Ghost of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ AKA BabyStepsxeagar
      7/30/13 1:35am

      What Ghibli film would you put on there? There are two animated films I would put on there: 1) Grave of the Fireflies 2) Ghost in the Shell.

      I find most (though not all) of the Ghibli output to be rather incoherent (narrative wise). Perhaps it is because I watch all of his films in Japanese with subtitles? I am not sure. I just find that either they dont' make a whole lot of sense (outside of the large themes that he is trying to convey) or the narrative has such large gaps in it that the film does not cohere. What they are able to do, however, is create an emotional resonance that I can connect with (also the art is superb).

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    sizor_sisterCamille Dodero
    7/29/13 7:04pm

    I'm a little disappointed there aren't more (any) films by African-American directors.

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      mwittiersizor_sister
      7/29/13 7:12pm

      John Singleton doesn't count?

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      DepartmentToadsizor_sister
      7/29/13 7:23pm

      Boyz n the Hood is on the list.

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    raincoasterCamille Dodero
    7/29/13 7:12pm

    I'm kind of surprised to see Kung Fu Hustle here; not that it isn't a great movie, referencing a dozen or more other great movies. Just that Spike Lee having a sense of humour is news to me.

    This list is awesome, actually.

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      MarcabExpatraincoaster
      7/29/13 10:01pm

      Heh, that was my exact reaction to seeing Kung Fu Hustle there. I mean, I love it, but I never thought I'd see it on a list like this.

      He's losing me with The Red Shoes, though.

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      Myrna MinkoffMarcabExpat
      7/29/13 11:03pm

      Have you seen The Red Shoes? I was skeptical until I actually saw it.

      There's a reason Scorsese cites it as one of his all-time favorite movies.

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    Captain_CrutchCamille Dodero
    7/29/13 6:56pm

    I have no particular quarrel with the list itself, but I found it really distracting that it was presented in alphabetical order by the director's first name. Fuck the heck?

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      SrynersonCaptain_Crutch
      7/29/13 7:27pm

      The curse of Excel spreadsheets!

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      Myrna MinkoffCaptain_Crutch
      7/29/13 8:52pm

      As someone who sucks at Excel, I totally understand why it's like that.

      Excel is a pain in the ass.

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    AuntEggmaBlowtorchCamille Dodero
    7/29/13 6:56pm

    "The Battle of Algiers" is an amazing film you should go watch right now.

    I'll wait.

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      EffinAndJeffinAuntEggmaBlowtorch
      7/29/13 7:57pm

      My third favorite of all time.

      And since you didn't ask...

      1) Cutter's Way

      2) The Long Goodbye

      3) TBOA

      4) Walkabout

      5) The Devils

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      AuntEggmaBlowtorchEffinAndJeffin
      7/29/13 10:49pm

      Try "Army of Shadows" too.

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    John BoehnerCamille Dodero
    7/29/13 6:52pm

    That is a good list.

    Spike Lee has made some of the best and some of the worst movies I've ever seen.

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      Eli Manning stars in: Omaha! Omaha! Omaha!John Boehner
      7/29/13 7:03pm

      I know. At least his bad movies are weird-bad, as opposed to boring-bad (totally thinking of She Hate Me right now).

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      BrokenloginEli Manning stars in: Omaha! Omaha! Omaha!
      7/29/13 7:32pm

      I don't acknowledge that movie's existence. It had me clutching at pearls that didn't exist...damn near left claw marks on my collarbone.

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    ManchuCandidateCamille Dodero
    7/29/13 6:51pm

    It's a pretty good mix of films. Cudos to Spike (??!??) Unlike many profs, he didn't put any of his work as part of the course curriculum.

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      JohnMcClanesSmirkManchuCandidate
      7/29/13 7:01pm

      That's actually very surprising and commendable. Though, I feel like I'd feel a little ripped off, no? How many chances does one get to know with 100% certainty, the intent of a creative choice. Or maybe that's why he didn't do it?

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    SrynersonCamille Dodero
    7/29/13 7:12pm

    I'm curious about where the OP got the quote "the greatest films ever made" because I'm not finding it in the linked sources and the document says "Essential Film List." (That distinction is somewhat important because it justifies the paucity of recent films — a film may be recognized as being "great" at the time it is released, but whether it is "essential" is more about how influential it is, which requires some historical perspective.)

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      Camille DoderoSrynerson
      7/29/13 7:19pm

      That's a direct quote from the video at the top of the post.

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      SrynersonCamille Dodero
      7/29/13 7:25pm

      Ah, foolish me! I clicked through each of the links, but didn't watch the video.

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