This may have been done before, but I do not remember since I've been here.

One Rule: No Animation....give me a break. Actors make movies.

See below for my intentions when I said American Movies, I meant that were made with the US market in mind or had success in the American Cinema, not some abstract sub-titled foreign film that sold 4 tickets in the U.S. If that clears it up.

Here's mine, no particular order.

1. The Godfather
2. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
3. The Shootist
4. The Matrix
5. Casablanca
6. It's a Wonderful Life
7. Apocalypse Now
8. Gladiator
9. Citizen Kane
10. The Shawshank Redemption

Is The Good, the Bad, the Ugly an American movie?

I agree with The God father #1. The perfect movie.

I thought The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was an Italian movie.

OP mentioned several of my faves but here are 10 I can watch over and over.

1. Tender Mercies
2. Open Range
3. Goodfellas
4. Bull Durham
5. The Great Escape
6. Coal Miner's Daughter
7. The Searchers
8. Unforgiven
9. Cape Fear (either version)
10. We Were Soldiers Once (and young)

__________________
God spelled backwards is dog.

Good point, let me redefine it, made for the American Box office. In other words, not something that was never shown anywhere except Tibet.

In no particular order...
Godfather
Raging Bull
The Searchers
Vertigo
To Kill A Mockingbird
Saving Private Ryan
The Graduate
Rudy
Animal House
Groundhog's Day

__________________
paws for friendship

The top ten movie list of all times is quite an undertaking. No doubt I have over looked several, but certainly these should be near the top.

1. Gone with the Wind – This is without a doubt the best movie ever made. Upstart Vivian Liegh wins her first of two Academy Awards and stole the show from Clark Gable.

2. Birth of a Nation - Politically important and technologically important. One of the movies most studied at UCLA film school.

3. 7. Apocalypse Now – Terrifying movie about Vietnam.

4. Blue Velvet –Dennis Hopper – Isabella Rosoline – This is probably to bizarre and violent for most people. It is a classic and the best thing Dennis Hopper ever did.

5. The Conversation Gene Hackman This and the package are perhaps Hackman’s best performances.

6. Blade Runner Harrison Ford – Rutger Hauer – Sean Young – Daryl Hannah – Edward Olmos

7. Unforgiven

8. Missouri Breaks

9. Hombre

10. Reservoir Dogs – Harvey Keitel – Tim Roth – Michael Madsen – Quinten Tarintino Old classic. Very violent

O. K. Let's play!

1. Lord of the Rings - All three parts.
2. Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
3. Casablanca.
4. Lawrence of Arabia.
5. Zorba the Greek.
6. To Kill a Mockingbird.
7. Once Upon A Time in The West.
8. The Searchers.
9. Bridge Over the River Kwai.
10. Dr. Zhivago.

__________________
<><

I'll just list some I like to watch about anytime. No particular order.
1.Cool Hand Luke
2.The Outlaw Josey Wales
3.The Shawshank Redemption
4.Gladiator
5.Heat
6.Second Hand Lions
7.An Unfinished Life
8.Saving Private Ryan
9.Jaws
10.Christmas Vacation...got to have one comedy.

Ben Hur
The Ten Commandments
Wizard of Oz
Gone With the Wind
Casablanca
Father Goose
Stagecoach
The Searchers
The Wild Bunch
The Professionals

__________________
James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Absolutely no way to have a static top 10 favorites list--just impossible but here are 10 of mine:

No Country for Old Men
Unforgiven
Gran Torino
Godfather
True Grit
Fargo
Pulp Fiction
The Departed
Silence of the Lambs
Goodfellas
The Sting

Stop right there! That movie was way over the top on everything...and too long by half. I wouldn't list it as a footnote, let alone number 1. Over acted, over produced, overblown. Though Vivian is one hot number, I'll grant you that!

Ringo Kid,
You obviously like Marion Mitchell Morrison. I knew a USN Flight Officer who had the duke's likeness air brushed on the back of his flight jacket. In his job, he deployed with marines who didn't understand the USN flight jacket was not part of a uniform but was in fact a part of a costume. At least that was his story.

Not in order:
1. The List of Adrian Messenger
2. Twelve O'clock High
3. Hell is for Heroes
4. Run Silent, Run Deep
5. The Eagle has Landed
6. Das Boot!
7. Go Tell the Spartans!
8. The Enemy Below
9. Shindler's List
10.The Iron Cross


How many people under 50 recognize all these movies?

Mike

Gone With the Wind- the pinnacle of filmaking, yeah, it's long, but the subjects almost demand it.
Casablanca
How the West was Won
The Longest Day
The Great Escape
Animal House
To Kill a Mockingbird
Dr. Zhivago
Citizen Kane
Braveheart
No gangsters or gorefests here.

__________________
Wayne
Torn & Frayed

You're going to need '2001: A Space Odyssey' somewhere in your top 5, I think.

Great story :-) And I like them all.I grew up classics movies deprived till we first got cable TV in town circa 1979? 1980? and then had access to WTBS and WGN when they both were great station. Duke is and will always be a top favorite of mine like Stewart, Heston, Fonda, etc. My username here is from the character (the: Ringo Kid) he played in Stagecoach--which is the movie that made him an "A" list star.

Im 46 & 1/2 and I recognize all of them like most of em. :-))

For ALPO--before I forget::::

You had asked me about the B&W pic with Heston and a Japanese Officer. Its not Heston but is Jeffrey Hunter w/ Toshiro Mifune--who is my favorite Japanese Actor. This movie is Hell To Eternity and is the story of Guy Gabaldon who was a Marine in WWII who went on to win the Distinguished Service Cross and was also known as: "The Pied Piper of Saipan." Even though im not a Vet--the combat scenes especially the Banzai Charge towards the end--looks realistic. The movie also has: John Larch, George Takai, Vic Damone and David Janssen as their Sergeant.

It is too bad all you got from Gone With The Wind is that "Vivian is one hot number." Given the subjective nature of rating films, I can understand someone not putting the movie in their top 10 list, but your reaction is what I consider to be over the top. LOL

By the way, I did not see your list anywhere.

Another favorite w/ Mifune is " Hell in the Pacific" w/ Lee Marvin.
One of my all time favorites: Quotes "Guten Morgen Sergeants, Nice Weather we are having!" "Curtains would do wonders in here. You will not get them!" Otto Preminger- "Stalag 17"
and for most realistic combat scene, "Heat!"

Mike

Blue Velvet???! That movie was pure ****! I'll give you poi nts for Unforgiven and Res Dogs but BV is beyond the ken.[Q%UOTE=finesse_r;137560773]The top ten movie list of all times is quite an undertaking. No doubt I have over looked several, but certainly these should be near the top.

1. Gone with the Wind – This is without a doubt the best movie ever made. Upstart Vivian Liegh wins her first of two Academy Awards and stole the show from Clark Gable.

2. Birth of a Nation - Politically important and technologically important. One of the movies most studied at UCLA film school.

3. 7. Apocalypse Now – Terrifying movie about Vietnam.

4. Blue Velvet –Dennis Hopper – Isabella Rosoline – This is probably to bizarre and violent for most people. It is a classic and the best thing Dennis Hopper ever did.

5. The Conversation Gene Hackman This and the package are perhaps Hackman’s best performances.

6. Blade Runner Harrison Ford – Rutger Hauer – Sean Young – Daryl Hannah – Edward Olmos

7. Unforgiven

8. Missouri Breaks

9. Hombre

10. Reservoir Dogs – Harvey Keitel – Tim Roth – Michael Madsen – Quinten Tarintino Old classic. Very violent[/QUOTE]

The title implies that *BOX OFFICE* (money made) should be the criteria for inclusion in your list. That information is readily available on the net. The films people have listed here are *PERSONAL* favorites, not *BOX OFFICE* favorites.

I don't think anyone has mentioned *any* of the actual Top Ten! Here they are, as of yesterday:

1. Avatar (2009) $760,505,847
2. Titanic (1997) $658,672,302
3. The Avengers (2012) $623,279,547
4. The Dark Knight (2008) $533,316,061
5. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) $474,544,677
6. Star Wars (1977) $460,935,665
7. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) $448,130,642
8. Shrek 2 (2004) $436,471,036
9. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) $434,949,459
10. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) $423,032,628

Source
All-Time USA Box Office

"The Planet of the Apes".

I was 8 when the first one came out. Loved it!!! Then we saw all of the others as they came out.

__________________
Dum vivo cano

cowart;

Correct for the new movies here you pay $7-12 to go see a show.

In the old days it was 25 cents to $1 to see a movie, so the
gross salary does throw things off a little.
Sort of miss "Ming" and Buster Crab.................and those space ships that "Floated and bobbed" around with the white smoke coming out of them.

OK, In no particular order.

Club Paradise
12 O'Clock High
The Best Years of Our Lives
Blast From the Past.
Grapes of Wrath
Saving Private Ryan
O Brother Where art Thou
Mr. Roberts
Caddy Shack
The Long Trailer

Its been at least 30 years since ive seen Hell in the Pacific--loved it. It came available on DvD earlier this year. Stalag 17 is another rotating top 10 favorite.

Ive never heard of Heat. Who's in it and what war are they fighting in?

Not one mention of All Quiet On The Western Front or Shane.

The Erich-Maria Remarque movie is fantastic. Not to go against anyone on their personal favorites, I never could stand Shane because of the whining kid. Ive never been a big fan of Alan Ladd, till this past year. He was great in movies like: Lucky Jordan, All the Young Men, and my favorite of his: Whispering Smith.

In no particular order -

• The Wild Bunch
• The Godfather
• The Godfather, Part II
• Bullitt
• Tora! Tora! Tora!
• Breaker Morant
• Patton
• Twelve O'clock High
• Apocalypse Now (Original Release)
• The French Connection

It's a shame that it's only ten.

Breaker Morant is included, even though it didn't have widespread U.S. release in 1979. I saw it 1st run.

I did not mean top grossing movies or critically acclaimed, neither of those means the movie was a good one, especially critical acclaim. Everyone seems to have gotten my meaning by listing their favorites.

1995- Al Pacino,Robert De Niro, et al. Cops and robbers in LA.
10-15 min shoot-out at bank. The Technical Adviser knew his stuff. First time I saw it, I was frozen in terror and awe. To those who have been on DEADLY Ground, few words are necessary. I think it is the most realistic portrayal of "Fire & Maneuver" outside Advanced Small Unit Tactics Training (Ranger, CAG, DEV GROUP) We had many an IAD (Immediate Action Drill) that was meant to overwhelm and destroy just such an ambush or roadblock.

I digress but another great movie that shows how the proper mindset is crucial is the original "DIE HARD" As LA SWAT is approaching the building, a team member is pricked by a thorn of a rose bush. He breaks concentration if he truly had any in the first place, flinches, grabs his arm and yells,"Aoch!"- In direct contrast to the armed bad guy waiting behind cover inside the building Lobby getting a sudden craving for a candy bar he sees in the glass case where he is patiently waiting to ambush the Entry Team.

No offense to my LAPD SWAT brethren, I only use the example to show who is "Switched ON" and who is not...

Mike

Thank you Mark and I will watch that movie. Im a de Niro fan so know ill like it.

Fargo
A Clockwork Orange
Modern Times
Patton
The Graduate
Rocky
Amadeus
Jaws
The Wizard of Oz

And don't forget:

'The Bridge Over the River Kwai'
The Great Escape

The Crow

National Lampoons A Christmas Vacation

Smokie and the Bandit

Top Gun_not a stellar movie, but i am just drawn to it and can pretty much recite every line...the wife no longer allows me to watch it...lol

Avatar

Slapshot

We Were Soldiers

Chato's Land

??? depends on my mood

__________________
SDMF

No particular order but here's 10 i'll watch anytime.
Fargo
Raising Arizona
Napolean Dynamite
Caddyshack
Rudy
Hoosiers
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Joe Kidd
The Getaway
Cool Hand Luke

Chuck

__________________
They hold no Quarter

Apocalypse Now. 1979

That was a movie made for the big screen. Nothing like the sound of a Huey.

__________________
Dum vivo cano

I've never been able to do this. My favorite list changes every time I write it. (About three times on this forum alone in the short time I've been here)
.....in no particular order.....
Emperor of the North Pole
French Connection
Once Upon a Time in the West
Rio Hondo
Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Good Bad Ugly
Casablanca
The Lincoln Lawyer
Mulholland Falls
The Hustler
(How can I leave out Fargo?)

__________________
Halfway and one more step

For those who don't know about "The Breaker" (Harry Harboard Morant) here's the Aussie treasure John Williamson:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rIx_XF-K87g

__________________
Halfway and one more step

The Deliverance. I saw it at a drive-in with The Exorcist.

What a night.

__________________
Dum vivo cano

Off the top of my head, here are ten movies I have seen over and over and never get tired of watching:

1: Animal House
2. The Blues Brothers
3. Stalag 17
4. 12 O'clock High
5. Casablanca
6. Full Metal Jacket
7. High Noon
8. Bataan
9. 12 Angry Men
10. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

There are many more, of course, but these are the ones that come immediately to mind...

Thanks you guys, for having Fargo on your list. I had never seen it, and my wife and I were casting about tonight for something to watch on Netflix, so on a lark we decided to view Fargo.

WOW! What a worthwhile investment of time it was, and a thoroughly entertaining (though dark) film! Reading more about it afterward was almost as much fun, and (without spoiling it for anyone else) I would have to thoroughly recommend it. The Coen Brothers rock!

I coulda sworn while watching the movie that the semi-auto used by the bad guys was a Smith 3rd Gen, but upon consulting the Internet Movie Database for firearms, learned it was a nickel plated Sig P226.

Thanks again, guys, for Fargo!

__________________
Ukraine -- now more than ever

'Blue Velvet' I didn't enjoy the movie but Dennis Hopper made it stand out. Also another movie, 'Waterworld' wasn't too hot but Hopper again stands out as the most memorable part. Especially when he gets the woman to sew his eye back in.

'Breaker Morant' is one of my favorites, the only reason I didn't mention it was that it wasn't an American movie.

The Coens have a long string of movies that are 'different' from other movies in a really refreshing way.

I thought of 'Tora! Tora! Tora!' but for some reason didn't type it.

I can watch 'Top Gun' again and again even though I can say the lines before the actors do. And Goose dying still gets me.

'Pulp Fiction' was pure trash, but that's exactly what it was meant to be and they did a great job pulling it off.

I wish there was a place here for "The Last Emperor". I thought it was an American movie but, no.

Let's not forget "One flew over the Cuckoo's nest"

Won ALL five major Academy Awards!

My top ten movies today are
Equilibrium
True Romance
Aliens
The Terminator
Predator
Black Hawk Down
Dirty Harry
Rambo
Heat
The Thing

The term "Box Office" that you used specifically means the gross amount that a film has earned. It is a widely used term in the movie business. See

BoxOffice® ? The Business of Movies

This is the closest to what my list would be..I would have to add...Lawrence of Arabia, and Bridge over The River Kwai..I think the French connection was very good for no other reason as the quality of acting by all....Gritty subject and pretty gritty movie...Made a few former NYPD officers pretty popular with movie fans and pretty disliked by NYPD brass.....The question is what happened to the Frenchman???? The last scene left me wondering...

Here's some great ones that have not already been mentioned:

Tom Horn
McCabe and Mrs. Miller
The Hired Hand
Wagon Master
Ride with the Devil
The Missing
The Big Country
The Big Sleep
Key Largo
To Have and To Have Not
Miller's Crossing
The Long Goodbye
Images
A Bridge Too Far

__________________
You're shy a few manners.