Scorsese Picks His Ultimate Favorite Film in Rapid-Fire Game
The legendary director made some surprising choices when forced to eliminate movies one by one until only his top pick remained. His final selection might shock you.
The legendary filmmaker recently participated in a quick-fire elimination game that had him choosing between pairs of acclaimed movies until he arrived at his ultimate favorite. His selections revealed some unexpected preferences, including picking a Leonardo DiCaprio film over what many consider Gal Gadot's finest Hollywood performance.
During the initial round, he selected Birdman instead of Clint Eastwood's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, then chose DiCaprio's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood over Gadot's Wonder Woman. He also picked 2001: A Space Odyssey over Catch Me If You Can, and The Silence of the Lambs over Mystic River.
Second Round Eliminations
The second phase saw him choosing Inside Out over Frozen, Parasite over Ratatouille, Dancer in the Dark over Twilight, and Pan's Labyrinth over Lost in Translation. From these winners, he then selected Birdman over Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, A Space Odyssey over The Silence of the Lambs, Parasite over Inside Out, and Dancer in the Dark over Pan's Labyrinth.
In the final stages, he chose A Space Odyssey over Birdman and Parasite over Dancer in the Dark. The ultimate showdown came down to these two films, with Stanley Kubrick's 1968 masterpiece emerging as his top choice. The entire process took just 30 seconds, demonstrating his decisive knowledge of cinema.
About the Winning Film
Stanley Kubrick's 1968 epic science fiction masterpiece, which he wrote, produced, and directed alongside co-writer Arthur C. Clarke, stands as one of cinema's greatest achievements. The film is celebrated for its scientifically accurate portrayal of space travel, groundbreaking visual effects, and thought-provoking themes.
The story follows humanity's discovery of a mysterious artificial object beneath the moon's surface. With assistance from HAL 9000, an advanced computer system, astronauts and scientists embark on a mission to Jupiter to investigate an alien monolith. The cast included Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, and Douglas Rain as HAL's voice.
Created with a $10.5 million budget, the film earned nearly $70 million worldwide. It currently holds a 90% critics score and 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, plus an 8.3/10 rating on IMDb. The movie explored themes of human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life, earning four Oscar nominations with Kubrick winning for visual effects direction.
Fan Reactions
While the final choice of A Space Odyssey seems logical given its status as a cinematic landmark, fans expressed mixed feelings about some of the director's other selections. Social media users debated his preference for Birdman over The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and questioned choosing A Space Odyssey over The Silence of the Lambs. Some praised his appreciation for Dancer in the Dark, while others criticized various matchup decisions throughout the elimination process.