Favorite "Stand-Alone" Films?

[Moviefan2k4]

The title pretty much says it all: List your favorite movies that don't have any sequels, prequels, or spinoffs, and why you like them so much. Remakes are cool as well, so long as its also a solo effort. Here's some of my faves...

Deep Impact

I know it hasn't gained as much of a following as "Armageddon", but I genuinely believe it to be a better story, and many of the characters seem more believable as well. I really liked Morgan Freeman's role as the President, and both Elijah Wood and Leelee Sobieski did very good jobs as well.

The Sound of Music

This is easily one of the best (if not the best) musicals ever done, period. Even after 46 years, so many people are familiar with both stories, of the film and the real history of the Von Trapp family. The songs are memorable as ever, and the recent Blu-Ray release is breathtaking. I'm not even a fan of many older films, but I grew up on both this and "The Wizard of Oz", so if that makes me biased, so be it.

Mary Poppins

Released one year before the above mentioned film, this Disney classic has it all. Humor, thoughtfulness, whimsy, firm lessons in a helpful context, etc. Based on (but not bound by) P.L. Travers' books, the tale of a "practically perfect" nanny assigned to watch over two English children in 1910 still holds up today. Dick van Dyke's performance is almost like a chameleon, with him having a different job every day, but he still serves as a wonderful co-lead with Julie (devoted fans will also notice him in a clever supporting role as well). Walt Disney himself spent over 20 years trying to make this movie, and the results speak for themselves.

Field of Dreams

Easily one of the best baseball films that's ultimately not about baseball, this movie is noteworthy for many reasons, like being Burt Lancaster's final role, and helping to convince people that hearing voices doesn't always mean you're crazy. Its a fascinating tale of a man who goes completely against typical logic and reason, and winds up the better for it in the long run. Its also one of the best "father and son" stories ever done, in my opinion.

[Navy Blue]

Stand By Me - just a great little movie, with added tears at the end

The Princess Bride - if I have to explain why, I'll have to beat you with a stick

Amélie - charming little movie

[csdot]

Raising Arizona - my favorite movie.
Taxi Driver - on of the best movies ever made. DeNiro at his best.
Blue Velvet - perfect film. love everything about it. my introduction to Lynch.
Blade Runner - the best sci-fi film ever made. it may not be stand-alone for long, but at the moment it is.

just gonna stop there because i could list them all day long.

[nocomments87]

Falling Down (1993): My favorite movie of all time

The Wrestler (2008): Truly moving film

GoodFellas (1990): Great movie and very solid performances from all the actors involved

The Natural (1984): As a huge baseball fan, I'm familiar with just about all the stories that inspired the book, and later, the movie. To me, it's the best baseball movie that also offers more than just the sport...

[Canada]

Platoon, Mulholland Dr., Das Boot, Saving Private Ryan, Se7en, Goodfellas, Friends with Benefits.

[pitmosher]

Big Trouble in Little China

[BLUEGRASS]

The Goonies - for the same reason listed above for The Princess Bride

[Todd_Gaines]

Oldboy With the way this one ended, not such a good idea for a sequel.

[Zuiun]

There's quite a few already listed above that I love, so I'll try to come up with some new ones:

Citizen Kane

Not sure I really need to justify this one.

The Rocketeer

A fantastic action film. And Jennifer Connelly

Jacob's Ladder

The implications presented in this movie have stayed with me since I saw in it in the theater. Hopefully without spoiling too much, it's a very mind-bending exploration of life, death, and the nature of reality.

Enter the Dragon

Best martial arts movie ever made. Period.

To Live and Die in L.A.

This one kind of got lost in the action movie boom of the 80's when everyone was paying attention to Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. But it's a solid story, has great characters, some fantastic action scenes, and a pretty ballsy twist with the main character.

Contact

A worthy adaptation, I think, of Carl Sagan's novel. It takes a few liberties with the original book, but then again, I don't think the scope of the book was really adaptable to film anyway. This is a good, solid compromise that tells the same basic concept in a slightly different way.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

It's hard to nail down a favorite John Hughes film, but this one might be it.


Also, I could list a ton of films that I think of as stand-alones because the so-called sequels really don't even rate acknowledgment (Wargames or An American Werewolf in London come to mind).

[filmnut5]

10 Films Which Stand Alone (Each in my Top 25 all-time):


1. Se7en (1995)-Intense from start to finish with a gut wrenching end.

2. Taxi Driver (1976)-The trials and tribulations of Travis Bickle (De Niro's finest performance).

3. Talk Radio (1988)-Eric Bogosian's over the top performance as a late night shock-jock.

4. Blade Runner (1982)-A visual masterpiece and a wonderful script. Who's a replicant and who isn't? Ridley Scott at his Best.

5. There's Something About Mary (1998)-The hardest I've ever laughed in a theatre.

6. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)-Great testament to the "Human Spirit" and importance of family.

7. Full Metal Jacket (1987)-Greatest of ALL War films. Split between the rigours of boot camp and reality of combat in Vietnam. One of my top 5 films of all-time.

8. Sin City (2005)-My favourite "comic book/graphic novel" to film adaptation. Kudos to Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller for this dark, uncompromising film. Another of my top 5 films of all-time.

9. The Graduate (1967)-Benjamin Braddock's coming of age journey. I wish my mom had a friend like "Mrs. Robinson" (Anne Bancroft) when I was 21.

10. Planet Terror (2007)-Robert Rodriguez' Zombie splatterfest. My favourite of ALL Zombie films. Some tongue in cheek gore galore and the stunning Rose McGowan with a machine gun leg.

[TheWildWhelk]

Bit of a left-field choice this one, but Terry Jones' Erik The Viking. I love comedy, and i love fantasy, being a fan of author Terry Pratchett, and in this film freely adapted from Jones own novel, he gets the blend perfect! Very Blackadder in places, with great performances all round. And there are three different versions to choose from, being the 100 minute international version, 90 minute UK version and radical re-edit 'Directors Sons Cut' coming in at a lean 75 minutes.

[Pirate King]

E.T.

Any comments that I could possibly make are not necessary.

[threefiftyrocket]

American History X - Norton was just BRILLIANT in this film

White Squall - Yeah I know The Dude was awesome but this is probably my favorite Jeff Bridges film, Where we go one, we go all. What an awesome motto...

The Life of David Gale - Yeah, I know this one may have been a bit over the top, but I still really love Spacey's performance in this movie.

Old School - Still my favorite Will Ferrell movie of all time

P.C.U. - One of my favorite movies of all time

Good Will Hunting - yeah again a bit over the top but the performances by everyone were just amazing

And yeah, I could go on and on and on... these are just a select few

[Al_The_Strange]

“Akira”
First genuine anime movie I saw. I didn’t know what to think at first, but for the past several years, it’s been my top favorite anime. The action is really wicked!

“The Passion”
The jolly feel-good family-friendly hit of 2004!

“Lawrence of Arabia”
I don’t know what it is; I’d think that a 3.5 hour movie from the 60s would put me to sleep, but this movie never does. On every viewing, I find it interesting and thrilling.

“Children of Men”
Aside from having some really smashing action scenes with incredible camera-work, this movie has one of the bleakest and most depressing views on the future of human society. I find it quite invoking.

“The Abyss”
It’s exciting and visually great, but it’s also a fine story with a decent cast of characters and some solid themes concerning war.

“A Clockwork Orange”
Yeah, it’s violent and provocative, but the visuals are stunning and the story is worth telling.

“American History X”
A combination of great visuals, quality performances, an invoking story, and deep themes make this a winner.

“Lord of War”
Very interesting message, very interesting characters, and a very interesting style.

“Hero”
My favorite foreign film, aside from “Akira.” The visuals and fights in this movie are stunning! And it helps that the story/characters aren’t bad either.

“Monty Python and the Holy Grail”
Favorite comedy. ‘Nuff said.

...and there's probably a thousand others or so that I enjoy.

[MJW]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is probably my all-time favorite.