[Indi]

Rules:
No polls, just a review and your opinion on why you believe the film you've chosen should stay higher up in the list. 50 words or more, 40 is accepted if you have expressed your opinion in a satisfactory standard.

Have fun!

[Maverick.]

Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca

40 words in a satisfactory manner?

Haha, but seriously. Casablanca has been, and will always be my favourite film of all time. Bogey and Ingrid put in a masterful performance.

[TheCacti]

QUOTE (Maverick. @ Saturday, May 5 2012, 00:34)

Casablanca has been, and will always be my favourite film of all time. Bogey and Ingrid put in a masterful performance.

Does this count as a legitimate vote? Don't think I'm picking on your vote, mate, I'm just genuinely curious what does and does not pass for gaining two points. (besides, it doesn't meet the 50 word requirement )

I just watched Chinatown yesterday and did very much enjoy it, and that says a lot coming from someone who normally doesn't care for drama/detective films (much less film noire). But sadly I haven't even seen Casablanca yet so I'll have to report back to this thread sometime tomorrow after having watched it.

[Maverick.]

QUOTE (TheCacti @ Saturday, May 5 2012, 12:39)

QUOTE (Maverick. @ Saturday, May 5 2012, 00:34) Casablanca has been, and will always be my favourite film of all time. Bogey and Ingrid put in a masterful performance. Does this count as a legitimate vote?

Yes.

[mark-2007]

This is a pretty tough tie, in my eyes; two good films going up against each other in the first round that would be high up in my own top 100. Saying that, my vote goes to Casablanca. Chinatown's a great film, and Nicholson's performance alone would be enough for it to sweep aside the majority of competitors, in my eyes, but not Casablanca. Both protagonists are bitter about events in their past but have reacted differently, Gittes with bitter determination, whilst Rick Blaine has become apathetic and cynical. Overall, I prefer Rick's character arc, and he's just way more cooler.

So yeah, Casablanca for me - definitely amongst my favourites.

Also, I haven't checked around other Top 100 topics, but how are the movies drawn?

[AceRay]

QUOTE (mark-2007 @ Saturday, May 5 2012, 15:08)

Also, I haven't checked around other Top 100 topics, but how are the movies drawn?

Indi puts them in a random generator and picks out two at a time.

[Indi]

I vote Casablanca, and why?

It's a romantic film masterpiece, a man who has nothing to lose, life that has been tough on Rick Blaine. The love of his life suddenly drawn away from him; and he never expected it. The film also goes through the Nazi Germany dictations at the time, preventing Ilsa Lund from leaving Casablanca as she is married to a well-known fugitive leader for the independence of Czechoslovakia. The plot ensues through Rick crossing paths once again with the love of his life Ilsa and the film is throughout a well-written, awesome masterpiece.

Ingrid Bergman provides a solid performance throughout as well as Humphrey Bogart proving a solid leading role.

[Tycek]

This will be probably one of toughest choices as both of the movies were great. Both of them have great stories and superb acting. Both of them were highly acclaimed during their times. In my opinion Casablanca win this battle, because it plays on your emotions, which will leave mark in your memory forever, where Chinatown is perfectly made movie, but lack of memorable scenes made it quite easy to forget. Scenes like "play it again" or last scenes on the airport became part of mankind history and were referenced countless times. Actors like Humprey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman and characters created by them also made this movie unforgettable experience.

My vote goes to Casablanca, which isn't very surprising.

[TheCacti]

While I very much did like Chinatown, I'm afraid it's too big a task to go up against the colossal Casablanca.

I see many similarities between the two in that both were presenting scandalous stories of some bold and memorable characters. While Casablanca certainly had much more emphasis in the sentiment of love, which threatens to lump it in with a tiresome old theme, the strong performance of the lead characters, along with convicting dialogue, made it ever so engaging and genuine. I just feel that the overall attitude surrounding the betrayal and trust in Casablanca makes it more relatable to peoples' lives and thus is more likely to withstand the test of time.

Here's looking at you, Casablanca.

[Fnorg]

I'm gonna go against the grain on this one. While I won't deny that Casablanca is a good movie, and certainly a staple, I find it terribly boring compared to Chinatown. It's grown on me with subsequent viewings, but ultimately it's too wooden for me. It has all the components that make a great film, but it doesn't click with me. Chinatown, on the other hand, has all those components, and does click. It has one of Nicholson's better performances as private dick J.J Gittes and a land-grab plot so awesome, it's still used as a template today. It has plot-twist upon plot-twist, and it never feels forced. The way Los Angeles of the 1930s was meticulously recreated is astoundingly beautiful. The movie could have been made in 1937, that's how legit it looks. It's at the absolute top of neo-noir, and up there as far as film noir in general goes.

I could go on and on, but it's pretty clear Chinatown is dead in the water.

I vote for Chinatown.

[ShaneHunter]

Wow surprised by the fact that Casablanca is leading by a landslide. To me Chinatown is the better film despite Casablanca being original for the time it was released. The performances in both films are amazing as well as the direction and writing, however Chinatown does have the technical edge with the beautiful cinematography and in many ways it being released during the 70's helps it get the edge due to the fact that it was the boom period in quality and creativity.

[Indi]

Voting stopped.

Casablanca wins.