Anybody want to share their action movie recommendations? I feel like I've watched them all and I know that can't be the case. I just don't know what I don't know.
A fruitful approach might be to make sure you hit everything made by your favorite actors. Folks like James Garner, Jason Statham, Clint Eastwood or Jean Reno have made a lot of movies. Definitely read a plot summary. You don't want to watch "landscape photographer meets random woman" when what you need is (my favorite) "hero gets after some folks who irritated/crossed him".
Quick, unoriginal recommendations for the above actors, which no doubt you seen already: James Garner (The Great Escape), Jason Statham (Transporter), Clint Eastwood (Where Eagles Dare), Jean Reno (Ronin).
There's no way that you're going to get a general agreement on a top five movie list. There's probably no other art form as visceral and as individual as comedy.
When this video started, the only must-have movie on such a list that can be objectively, scientifically proven to be worthy was Mad Mad Mad Mad World so I was gratified to see this one on your list. I fully respected your other choices though after hearing all the good things you had to say about Young Frankenstein, I was surprised that that one didn't make your cut. Also, I thought that Doctor Strangelove should have been on your list because any movie that makes me laugh out loud through most of it is by my definition a comedy and if I had to limit such a list to five, it'd be there (I'd probably put it in the top five of all movies of any genre). I think that Strangelove is often categorized as black comedy.
I understand The Big Lebowski because of it's quirk factor. I didn't get it the first time nor did I get Pulp Fiction the first time, both of which I consider personal failures that qualify me as being behind the curve. Lebowski belongs on the list for many people though I'd probably delegate it to top 50 comedies.
The one gaping absence in your list that I find truly inexplicable is Blazing Saddles. Was it because you simply put it in your "too stupid" category (like Airplane)? I'm not sure why stupidity should exclude a truly hilarious comedy from the top five. Of course Blazing Saddles was dumb but, when I saw this film in high school, I was literally laughing nonstop through the entire movie. At one point the two friends I went to see it with thought that I didn't think it was funny because I'd stopped laughing. It took them some time in the dark for them to realize that that was because I'd literally lost the ability to breathe.
For those of you that haven't seen Blazing Saddles, you have to buy in on DVD (for Mark's reasons). Why our betters haven't forbid the distribution of this film I can't imagine. Mel Brooks himself stated that he would never have been allowed to produce it today.
So great list Mark but I'd have given yourself some wriggle room by making it at LEAST a top ten list. Also, I don't think that stupidity should disqualify a movie from a top "number of your choice".
BTW, my father did the publicity for Mad World and it was the first movie I ever saw in a movie theatre. My parents had Stanley Kramer over at our house and 5-year-old John made him laugh by asking him. "Do you think any of those characters will ever be happy?"