Naming the best movie in history is quite an ambitious task. Ask a hundred movie buffs what their favorite movie is and they will all come up with their own answer – from The Lord of the Rings to Apocalypse Now to Alien.
But Rotten Tomatoes took on this impossible mission and compiled a list of the 300 best movies of all time based on critics' scores, user scores, number of reviews, and other factors. And the first place movie was one that (almost) no one expected.
If the second and third places were taken by The Godfather and Casablanca – classic films that everyone with even a passing interest in cinema has seen–- then the first place went to the 1997 noir detective story L.A. Confidential.
What is L.A. Confidential About?
Three very different detectives – Bud White (Russell Crowe), Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) and Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) – are investigating a mass murder.
But Rotten Tomatoes took on this impossible mission and compiled a list of the 300 best movies of all time based on critics' scores, user scores, number of reviews, and other factors. And the first place movie was one that (almost) no one expected.
If the second and third places were taken by The Godfather and Casablanca – classic films that everyone with even a passing interest in cinema has seen–- then the first place went to the 1997 noir detective story L.A. Confidential.
What is L.A. Confidential About?
Three very different detectives – Bud White (Russell Crowe), Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) and Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) – are investigating a mass murder.
- 5/8/2024
- by zoe-wallace@startefacts.com (Zoe Wallace)
- STartefacts.com
Click here to read the full article.
Kevin Spacey will hold a masterclass at Italy’s National Museum of Cinema in Turin, the organization said on Thursday.
In a social media post, it said the event with the two-time Oscar winner, who has been facing sexual misconduct allegations in recent years, would take place on Monday, Jan. 16 at the Mole Antonelliana, a landmark tower in the city where the museum is located.
The onstage conversation with National Museum of Cinema president Domenico De Gaetano will be “dedicated to some of his most memorable roles,” the organization said in an Instagram post. “Kevin Spacey is among the most chameleonic and talented actors of his generation.”
A Facebook post added that the actor will, after the masterclass, introduce “the screening of one of his most famous films, which we will announce very shortly.” And he will receive a Stella della Mole award for lifetime achievement.
Kevin Spacey will hold a masterclass at Italy’s National Museum of Cinema in Turin, the organization said on Thursday.
In a social media post, it said the event with the two-time Oscar winner, who has been facing sexual misconduct allegations in recent years, would take place on Monday, Jan. 16 at the Mole Antonelliana, a landmark tower in the city where the museum is located.
The onstage conversation with National Museum of Cinema president Domenico De Gaetano will be “dedicated to some of his most memorable roles,” the organization said in an Instagram post. “Kevin Spacey is among the most chameleonic and talented actors of his generation.”
A Facebook post added that the actor will, after the masterclass, introduce “the screening of one of his most famous films, which we will announce very shortly.” And he will receive a Stella della Mole award for lifetime achievement.
- 11/3/2022
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One of the most haunting and atmospheric pieces of filmmaking I’ve seen this year is the pilot for the television adaptation of James Ellroy’s L.A. Confidential, which, as scripted by Jordan Harper and directed by Michael Dinner, beautifully captures Ellroy’s unique blend of acidic humor, weary resignation, and brutal violence as both a destructive and cathartic force. Working with his Justified collaborator Walton Goggins — brilliant here in the role of Jack Vincennes — as well as an equally fine Brian J. Smith (playing Ed Exley) and Mark Webber (Bud White), Dinner pays tribute to both Ellroy’s novel and Curtis […]...
- 7/9/2018
- by Jim Hemphill
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
One of the most haunting and atmospheric pieces of filmmaking I’ve seen this year is the pilot for the television adaptation of James Ellroy’s L.A. Confidential, which, as scripted by Jordan Harper and directed by Michael Dinner, beautifully captures Ellroy’s unique blend of acidic humor, weary resignation, and brutal violence as both a destructive and cathartic force. Working with his Justified collaborator Walton Goggins — brilliant here in the role of Jack Vincennes — as well as an equally fine Brian J. Smith (playing Ed Exley) and Mark Webber (Bud White), Dinner pays tribute to both Ellroy’s novel and Curtis […]...
- 7/9/2018
- by Jim Hemphill
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Walton Goggins is all set to star in the CBS release of La Confidential series, and it seems like one of the best roles that he could take on. Goggins is a well-known face among TV and movies and has had a wide array of roles that has seen him take on some truly interesting characters. In the coming series he’s going to pick up the role of detective Jack Vincennes, a man that’s all swagger and flash with enough experience and corruption in his being to know to work the system to his advantage. This seems like the type
Walton Goggins is Set to Star in CBS’ “L.A. Confidential” Series...
Walton Goggins is Set to Star in CBS’ “L.A. Confidential” Series...
- 2/25/2018
- by Wake
- TVovermind.com
I've been following Walton Goggins' career ever since I first watched him in The Shield. He has since had a pretty successful career staring in Justified, The Hateful Eight, and the upcoming Tomb Raider movie just to name a few.
He's a fun actor that takes on great roles and he just landed a perfect role in CBS' upcoming series adaptation of James Ellroy’s 1990 noir novel L.A. Confidential. Goggins will play detective Jack Vincennes, who is described as follows:
“All swagger and flash with a movie star smile, Jack knows how the system works and uses it to his best advantage, including some corrupt shakedowns on the side.”
This character was previously played by Kevin Spacey in the 1997 Curtis Hanson-directed film adaptation of the book. The series will reportedly follow "three homicide detectives, a female reporter and a Hollywood actress. The detectives are following a serial...
He's a fun actor that takes on great roles and he just landed a perfect role in CBS' upcoming series adaptation of James Ellroy’s 1990 noir novel L.A. Confidential. Goggins will play detective Jack Vincennes, who is described as follows:
“All swagger and flash with a movie star smile, Jack knows how the system works and uses it to his best advantage, including some corrupt shakedowns on the side.”
This character was previously played by Kevin Spacey in the 1997 Curtis Hanson-directed film adaptation of the book. The series will reportedly follow "three homicide detectives, a female reporter and a Hollywood actress. The detectives are following a serial...
- 2/21/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
CBS’ new take on L.A. Confidential has booked a big name to star.
Emmy nominee Walton Goggins (Justified) has signed on to headline the buzzy pilot, according to our sister site Variety. Goggins will play the role of Detective Jack Vincennes, the flashy and morally questionable Lapd cop played by Kevin Spacey in the Oscar-winning 1997 film.
Like the film, CBS’ L.A. Confidential — which scored an official pilot order earlier this month — is based on the novel by acclaimed crime author James Ellroy, and follows a trio of homicide detectives, a reporter and an aspiring actress as their lives intersect in 1950s Los Angeles.
Emmy nominee Walton Goggins (Justified) has signed on to headline the buzzy pilot, according to our sister site Variety. Goggins will play the role of Detective Jack Vincennes, the flashy and morally questionable Lapd cop played by Kevin Spacey in the Oscar-winning 1997 film.
Like the film, CBS’ L.A. Confidential — which scored an official pilot order earlier this month — is based on the novel by acclaimed crime author James Ellroy, and follows a trio of homicide detectives, a reporter and an aspiring actress as their lives intersect in 1950s Los Angeles.
- 2/20/2018
- TVLine.com
CBS has cast Walton Goggins in its “L.A. Confidential” pilot, with the “Justified” alum to fill the role played by Kevin Spacey in the 1997 movie. Goggins will co-star in the adaptation as Det. Jack Vincennes, who is described as “all swagger and flash with a movie star smile. Jack knows how the system works and uses it to his best advantage, including some corrupt shakedowns on the side.” The James Ellroy novel is being adapted by “Gotham” writer Jordan Harper, who will co-showrun with Anna Fricke. New Regency’s Arnon Milchan, who produced the 1997 Oscar-winning film adaptation, will also executive produce. Also...
- 2/20/2018
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
Since 1989, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress has been accomplishing the important task of preserving films that “represent important cultural, artistic and historic achievements in filmmaking.” From films way back in 1897 all the way up to 2004, they’ve now reached 675 films that celebrate our heritage and encapsulate our film history.
Today they’ve unveiled their 2015 list, which includes classics such as Douglas Sirk‘s melodrama Imitation of Life, Hal Ashby‘s Being There, and John Frankenheimer‘s Seconds. Perhaps the most popular picks, The Shawshank Redemption, Ghostbusters, Top Gun, and L.A. Confidential were also added. Check out the full list below.
Being There (1979)
Chance, a simple-minded gardener (Peter Sellers) whose only contact with the outside world is through television, becomes the toast of the town following a series of misunderstandings. Forced outside his protected environment by the death of his wealthy boss, Chance subsumes his late employer’s persona,...
Today they’ve unveiled their 2015 list, which includes classics such as Douglas Sirk‘s melodrama Imitation of Life, Hal Ashby‘s Being There, and John Frankenheimer‘s Seconds. Perhaps the most popular picks, The Shawshank Redemption, Ghostbusters, Top Gun, and L.A. Confidential were also added. Check out the full list below.
Being There (1979)
Chance, a simple-minded gardener (Peter Sellers) whose only contact with the outside world is through television, becomes the toast of the town following a series of misunderstandings. Forced outside his protected environment by the death of his wealthy boss, Chance subsumes his late employer’s persona,...
- 12/16/2015
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
I interviewed James Ellroy, the great American noir novelist, at La's venerable Pacific Dining Car in April 2001. We were there to discuss his latest book, The Cold Six Thousand, but wound up tackling a myriad of subjects over our three hour lunch. Ellroy sported a snappy fedora that I said would have looked great on Meyer Lansky. He barked a laugh and removed it, displaying his bald pate. When he looked at my full head of 33 year-old hair, his eyes narrowed: "That thing on your head real or a rug?" "Real," I replied. Ellroy exhaled for what seemed like a full minute, then murmured: "Cocksucker." We were off and running.
James Ellroy: Bark At The Moon
The "Demon Dog of American Fiction" sinks his teeth into Rfk, Mlk and Vietnam with The Cold Six Thousand
If there were any justice in this world, and in the world of James Ellroy that's debatable,...
James Ellroy: Bark At The Moon
The "Demon Dog of American Fiction" sinks his teeth into Rfk, Mlk and Vietnam with The Cold Six Thousand
If there were any justice in this world, and in the world of James Ellroy that's debatable,...
- 5/27/2015
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Had these pilots been given the green light, we might have been without Breaking Bad, 24, Hannibal, Community and more…
It’s not all grumble and moan round here when TV networks decline to pick up pilots. Sometimes, we’re even grateful.
Hindsight teaches that every so often, passing on a particular show is the best thing a channel could have done. Not ordering one pilot to series spurs its creators on to start another, and frees up its cast to join new projects.
Had the failures below all thrived, there’s a chance we could now be living in a world with no Breaking Bad, Hannibal, or even South Park. Had these pilots gone on to enjoy healthy, lengthy lives, then Jack Bauer, Oberyn Martell, Chandler Bing and more might all be unrecognisable today.
Here then, are the TV pilots we’re grateful weren’t taken to series because their...
It’s not all grumble and moan round here when TV networks decline to pick up pilots. Sometimes, we’re even grateful.
Hindsight teaches that every so often, passing on a particular show is the best thing a channel could have done. Not ordering one pilot to series spurs its creators on to start another, and frees up its cast to join new projects.
Had the failures below all thrived, there’s a chance we could now be living in a world with no Breaking Bad, Hannibal, or even South Park. Had these pilots gone on to enjoy healthy, lengthy lives, then Jack Bauer, Oberyn Martell, Chandler Bing and more might all be unrecognisable today.
Here then, are the TV pilots we’re grateful weren’t taken to series because their...
- 2/24/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
We're holding a free screening of a crime classic of your choice next week. Here's a closer look at one option: 1997's La Confidential...
Feature
On the 5th June, we're holding a free crime classic cinema screening to celebrate the launch of the videogame Murdered: Soul Suspect. You can find out details of the screening, and how you can vote for the film you most want to see, here.
For now, here's our look back at the first of the films you can choose from: the 1997 crime classic, La Confidential.
Please note: this piece contains spoilers for the film (apologies to those who read it before we added the appropriate spoiler warning)
Released in 1997, La Confidential may have been outshone by James Cameron’s Titanic at the Academy Awards, winning just two of the nine awards it had been nominated for, but it has since been recognised as something of a masterpiece.
Feature
On the 5th June, we're holding a free crime classic cinema screening to celebrate the launch of the videogame Murdered: Soul Suspect. You can find out details of the screening, and how you can vote for the film you most want to see, here.
For now, here's our look back at the first of the films you can choose from: the 1997 crime classic, La Confidential.
Please note: this piece contains spoilers for the film (apologies to those who read it before we added the appropriate spoiler warning)
Released in 1997, La Confidential may have been outshone by James Cameron’s Titanic at the Academy Awards, winning just two of the nine awards it had been nominated for, but it has since been recognised as something of a masterpiece.
- 5/27/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
ABC has officially ordered the Avengers spinoff Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for its fall schedule. The show won’t actually feature too many characters from Avengers — with one rather notable exception. As Marvel godfather Joss Whedon announced many months ago, the show will feature the return of Clark Gregg’s Agent Phil Coulson. Of course, as we all know, Coulson appeared to die in The Avengers. And by “appeared to die” I mean “Yes, of course, they could have faked his death, but we saw blood running out of his mouth, and his death formed the emotional core of the film’s third act.
- 5/14/2013
- by Darren Franich
- EW.com - PopWatch
Uniting "Mad Men"-type period stylings and the crime solving fundamental to half of network television, a television series sequel to 1997's "L.A. Confidential" seems like it'd be a solid small screen bet. Which may be why, according to Deadline, James Ellroy and New Regency are shopping around a drama series set to follow after the Curtis Hanson-directed noir. Ellroy wrote the 1990 novel on which the film was based -- the feature, which was produced by Regency, starred Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe and Kim Basinger and won two Oscars, one for Kim Basinger's supporting role and another for Hanson and Brian Helgeland's screenplay. The project is being pitched to cable, broadcast and streaming platforms, though it's not the first time a TV adaptation of the property has been attempted. You can watch a 2003 "L.A. Confidential" pilot starring Kiefer Sutherland in the Spacey role as Detective Jack Vincennes,...
- 4/26/2013
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
With Gangster Squad coming to theaters this Friday, we've decided to take a look at some of our favorite Los Angeles detective stories, and what they tell us about the city they depict. Yesterday, Katey Rich sang the praises of Robert Altman's 1973 noir The Long Goodbye. Today, Mack is tackling L.A. Confidential. The world may have changed quite a bit in the six decades since men like Bud White, Ed Exley and Jack Vincennes roamed the California streets with badges, but a handful of things haven.t moved an inch. A simple, well-tailored suit is still the epitome of men.s fashion, and the exterior and interior images of Los Angeles have remained two different sides of the same coin. As Danny DeVito so precisely points out in his opening narration of L.A. Confidential, there is the Los Angeles the movies are invested in selling you, and...
- 1/9/2013
- cinemablend.com
L.A. Confidential
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Written by Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland
U.S.A., 1997
There can be such a thing as a fantastic ensemble piece in hindsight. Granted, the idea comes across as a little unorthodox since any film, provide the casting is right and the subsequent careers of the actors flourish, can look like a ‘great ensemble’ piece some years down the road. One such perfect moment in cinema history when the stars aligned even before some of them were actual stars was the much talked about and still fondly remembered 1997 film L.A. Confidential, directed by Curtis Hanson. Names like Danny DeVito, James Cromwell and Kim Basinger were already recognizable, but Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce and one Russell Crowe much less so. Director Hanson had in fact found it difficult to appropriate fund the picture in part because it lacked sufficient star power, but of course,...
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Written by Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland
U.S.A., 1997
There can be such a thing as a fantastic ensemble piece in hindsight. Granted, the idea comes across as a little unorthodox since any film, provide the casting is right and the subsequent careers of the actors flourish, can look like a ‘great ensemble’ piece some years down the road. One such perfect moment in cinema history when the stars aligned even before some of them were actual stars was the much talked about and still fondly remembered 1997 film L.A. Confidential, directed by Curtis Hanson. Names like Danny DeVito, James Cromwell and Kim Basinger were already recognizable, but Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce and one Russell Crowe much less so. Director Hanson had in fact found it difficult to appropriate fund the picture in part because it lacked sufficient star power, but of course,...
- 6/16/2012
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
In some films, particularly of the twists and turns variety, a significant event, moment or even line of dialogue, can be summarized by the phrase “This changes everything”. This is known as a Game Changer, where the established landscape of the movie’s plot is irrevocably and dramatically altered, with no chance of ever going back. Audience reaction can range from emotional sledgehammer to Wtf?
Often this single moment can encapsulate the whole film, and become its most famed component: everybody who has heard of The Crying Game is also familiar with its reveal. This isn’t the Twist Ending we’re talking about; this is the story shaking, ultimately defining wham moment.
Here are six great examples.
Obviously contains extensive spoilers.
“Have you a valediction, boyo?” – L.A. Confidential
A feast of noir murder mystery and crusading character development, Curtis Hanson’s adaptation of James Ellroy’s labyrinth novel...
Often this single moment can encapsulate the whole film, and become its most famed component: everybody who has heard of The Crying Game is also familiar with its reveal. This isn’t the Twist Ending we’re talking about; this is the story shaking, ultimately defining wham moment.
Here are six great examples.
Obviously contains extensive spoilers.
“Have you a valediction, boyo?” – L.A. Confidential
A feast of noir murder mystery and crusading character development, Curtis Hanson’s adaptation of James Ellroy’s labyrinth novel...
- 4/16/2012
- by Scott Patterson
- SoundOnSight
Australian actor Simon Baker has never quite become a big-screen star. From time to time, it looked like he might be on his way there: he gave a neat, wounded little performance as the closeted, tragic would-be actor who becomes a pawn in Jack Vincennes' schemes in "L.A. Confidential," and pulled off leading man duties with solid charm in George Romero's "Land of the Dead," but despite that, and turns in "The Devil Wears Prada" and "The Ring Two," among others, he's never quite made it to starring status in the movies.
On TV, however, it's a different matter: for four seasons he's starred on CBS' hit procedural "The Mentalist" as Patrick Jane, a former bogus psychic who aids murder investigations. The show continues to be a big hit, and it's afforded Baker the capital to do some smaller indie projects, like his two most recent film turns,...
On TV, however, it's a different matter: for four seasons he's starred on CBS' hit procedural "The Mentalist" as Patrick Jane, a former bogus psychic who aids murder investigations. The show continues to be a big hit, and it's afforded Baker the capital to do some smaller indie projects, like his two most recent film turns,...
- 3/5/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
If you’ve seen Gwyneth Paltrow’s brain dissected in Contagion, you know that Steven Soderbergh is willing to portray stars in a less than glamorous light. But in an interview with The Independent, the Oscar-winning director of Traffic and Haywire practically exuded blood lust for A-listers. Don’t worry, though: It’s all in the name of art!
“It’s always good to kill movie stars,” Soderbergh told the British newspaper. “I think that the two most important things that have happened to that aspect of movies in the last 50 years are Hitchcock killing off Janet Leigh in a...
“It’s always good to kill movie stars,” Soderbergh told the British newspaper. “I think that the two most important things that have happened to that aspect of movies in the last 50 years are Hitchcock killing off Janet Leigh in a...
- 1/8/2012
- by Christian Blauvelt
- EW.com - PopWatch
If you know anything about video games you’ll know by now that La Noire is a detective thriller, set in 1940s Los Angeles and made by Rockstar – the same guys behind Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. You just might have heard that it was the first video game to bag a slot at the Robert De Nero’s Tribeca Film Festival, back in April. But what you most certainly know is that it boasts fantastic, hitherto unprecedented, motion capture for a video game. This development has enabled Rockstar’s Team Bondi to focus the bulk of the game around gauging the facial expressions of crime suspects.
This gameplay mechanic wouldn’t have been possible without the technology backing it up, as La Noire boasts frighteningly realistic and often incredibly subtle facial expressions. Yet Rockstar needed more than just technology if they were to create dozens of distinct...
This gameplay mechanic wouldn’t have been possible without the technology backing it up, as La Noire boasts frighteningly realistic and often incredibly subtle facial expressions. Yet Rockstar needed more than just technology if they were to create dozens of distinct...
- 5/26/2011
- by Robert Beames
- Obsessed with Film
The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films, as ranked by the users of the biggest movie Internet site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of The Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.
It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case, we, is myself and Gary) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list! We’ve frozen the list as of 1st January this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, as we’ll be watching them in one year, 125 each.
This is our nineteenth update, a rundown of my next five movies watched for the project.
(You can find last week’s update here)
Notorious (1946) – 8.2 No.
It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case, we, is myself and Gary) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list! We’ve frozen the list as of 1st January this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, as we’ll be watching them in one year, 125 each.
This is our nineteenth update, a rundown of my next five movies watched for the project.
(You can find last week’s update here)
Notorious (1946) – 8.2 No.
- 6/1/2010
- by Barry Steele
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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