Alright! Here we go! The #1 movie of all time. I was able to finish all of this on time and on schedule - what better way to end the three weeks off between jobs than with the BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME!?!?!?!
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Well.
That movie happened.
Was it bad? No. Was it the best ever? No. Was it good? Meh....not really.
I'll give Orson Welles credit for freaking out the entire world with his radio depiction of aliens invading earth - which has absolutely nothing to do with this film, I just think it's hilarious. But, this movie - while pretty groundbreaking film production wise just had nothing for me.
Rosebud. It's a stupid sled.
There, I said it. Rosebud is a sled.
I honestly don't have much else to say about this - but what are film critics smoking when they make these lists overall? I don't even think Citizen Kane would be in my top 50 of all time. How could it be ahead of movies like The Godfather I & II, Gone With the Wind...hell, even Star Wars????
Well, there you have it. My blog countdown is done. The next few posts will be about my own rankings compared to this list, which actors appeared the most, Directors, etc.
It's been fun. This list really sucked though. Keep an eye out for my own list coming soon. It will be far more entertaining.
I don't know how many people in the world haven't seen The Godfather....but whoever they are, they're no friends of mine...at least not right now...I'm a nice guy - we can still be friends...I'm sorry.
Man, I really don't know what's better - I or II...they're both phenomenal. You get more sinister stuff out of Pacino in the second one, but the first has just so much going on and some absolutely phenomenal performances.
It's really just about the transition between Marlon Brando as The Godfather to Pacino (his son Michael) becoming the Godfather. Obviously a lot of crazy shit happens in between those two things and some people definitely die.
Let's examine the various ways shall we:
- You've got a few strangulations via piano wire (RIP Luca Brasi,RIP Carlo)
- Gun shots to throat, then head (RIP Cpt McCluskey, RIP Sollozo)
- Gun shot to back of head (RIP Paulie...who rat bastard)
- Car bombs (RIP Appolonia)
- Tommy gun DUMMYING (RIP Santino)
- Decapitation (RIP Horse)
- Shot in the eye with your glasses on while getting a massage (RIP Moe)
- Old age (RIP Don Corleone)
- Shotgun to chest, handgun through blocked revolving door, pistol on stairs, shot while banging (RIP 5 Family Heads)
- Mysteriously off screen (RIP Tessio)
So there you have it, variety is the spice of life.
Funny enough, Brando won another Oscar here but this is the one where he didn't go and had a Native American go in his place, in full head dress to protest the treatment/depiction of Native American's in film.
Also, Pacino was PISSED that he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor while Brando won for Best Actor. I mean, that literally makes no sense. Al Pacino is the star of this film and has the most camera time.
Oh well, at least James Caan also was nominated. What a pimp that guy was, although that female acquaintance at the beginning that he's hanging out with...for lack of a better phrase....has seen better days. C'mon Santino, you're a Corleone...have some goddamn self respect.
Robert Duval makes another appearance on this top 10 - he's getting towards the top of the list of appearances. Very quietly too I might add.
I can't think of many more adjectives to describe this movie, but Francis Ford Coppola really knows how to deliver on this list.
Go buy the trilogy, you don't want to end up sleeping with the fishes.
Spoiler alert: This was always my favorite movie of all time. Ever since I saw this movie back in University for some reason it just stayed with me. I always used to tell people after they'd laugh when I'd tell them it's my favorite - that this movie was the movie that created all of those 'movie cliches', which means that it itself is not cliched.
It has everything. It's a great love story that doesn't end the way you think it should. War time drama, funny at times, great characters. And overall amazing performances by Humphrey Bogart, Claude Rains and Ingrid Bergman (Paul Henreid doesn't have as much screen time to make it worth talking about).
Sadly, Bogey didn't win the Oscar for what I think is his best performance, all suave and debonair and shit. Instead he had to wait and win it for The African Queen - playing a bum.
The movie centers around an inadvertent rebirth of a love affair when Ilsa (Bergman) and Henreid (married), end up in Casablanca looking for safe passage to America. This being during the war and most of France being occupied by the Nazi's, and Henreid's character being wanted around the world for anti-Nazi type stuff - it definitely leads to some interesting scenarios.
They come to Rick's bar in Casablanca and low and behold, Rick (Bogey) and Ilsa recognize each other as they had a love affair when Henreid was in a POW camp (way to be Bergman...slut).
Anyways, it's a great story with some of the best lines anyone will hear in film. If you ever wondered where they come from, it's Casablanca.
"Here's looking at you kid"
"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" (last line of the film btw)
"Round up the usual suspects" (used twice)
"We'll always have Paris"
"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine"
And some people think "Play it again Sam" is from this, which really is just a bastardization of when Isla tells Sam to play "As Time Goes By" (great song btw). She really says: "Play it once Sam, for old times sake. Play, As Time Goes By." Which isn't even close. Dummies.
Anyways, Bogey is the man. That's all I have to say. The man. This movie alone got me into loving this era of the 'good guy' and it just got better after being introduced to Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gable. Just go buy this movie.
So I've come to the realization that the Top 10 (save for Lawrence of Arabia) are decent movies...with some just shy of 'decent' and others just surpassing 'decent'.
Raging Bull, at least for me, is just past decent. Don't take that the wrong way - it's a really good movie but the problem with a Top 10 is that I'm waiting for all of these to blow me away. See, there are lots of problems with this approach, especially if you'd seen it before.
So for me, I've obviously seen Raging Bull before - I own it. But I always had approached it as a 'boxing' movie, not a wicked piece of film making.
Odds are, if I were to sit on this for a couple months and come back and watch it again I'd like it a lot more. This is a weird post because it's making it seem like I didn't like it. I did.
DeNiro is amazing, absolutely amazing. He won his second Oscar for this film and it's no surprise. Apart from that, Scorsese wanted to find relatively unknowns to play the rest of the parts. One being Joe Pesci - this is his first major film. And thus was born a wicked Gangster actor.
Scorsese also thought that this would be his last film ever, due to everyone hating it (passive aggressive much?). And it's got some funny stories behind it. Obviously DeNiro finding Joe Pesci and his wife (played by Cathy Moriarty) at a restaurant. He also brought this book about Jake LaMotta's life to Scorsese after reading it between takes while filming Godfather II. To train for the movie, DeNiro actually started boxing at LaMotta's club and found that he was a natural. He actually boxed in 3 real matches, winning 2 of them. Jake LaMotta went on to say that Robert DeNiro was in the top 20 boxers he ever trained.
Also, some quick trivia tidbit - albeit depressing, Jake LaMotta's son happened to be on SwissAir Flight 111 that crashed off of the coast of Nova Scotia. Small world eh?
You know, the more I think about this as I write - this movie was really good. Artistic, dramatic, beautifully shot, great acting and boxing sequences...and the birth (at least in my mind) of the Scorsese/DeNiro/Pesci Gangster trifecta...which is really the true benefit of this film.
Ok, we all know the song. I'm pretty sure most of us know the scene too - Gene Kelly, dancing around like a complete dummy getting drenched (and probably dying of pneumonia shortly after), jumping around lamp posts, etc.
In all seriousness though, this was a pretty funny movie. I wasn't anticipating that whatsoever, and some of it was pretty slap schticky (like Don O'Connor's whole Make Them Laugh bit), but overall I did have some good laugh out loud moments.
The concept is also pretty rich. Two movie superstars from the Silent Film era struggle to adapt to "Talkies"...which is where the industry is going obviously. But hey, Gene Kelly is the consummate pro and can sing, act and dance so he'll be fine. But his bitchy costar has a voice that's worse than a dying bleating deaf cat. So obviously she's not going to be a big star once everyone hears her speak for real this time.
Like most of these older films, calamity ensues. People fall in love, there's some cheeky humor and there you go - movie is over. Everybody wins....except the deaf cat. Everyone laughs at her at the end. Like, an entire theatre of people. Classic. Stupid deaf cat.
Long story short - if you've never seen this movie before, it's not quite what you'd expect. I definitely wasn't expecting it. Gene Kelly is great, Don O'Connor might even be better. It's a comedy, it's a musical and Singin in the Rain literally has nothing to do with the rest of the movie.
I have to admit that I never really appreciated this movie. I'm sure somewhere along the line my mother must've forced me to watch it at some point, and at the very least I've seen the majority of it throughout the years.
Watching it front to back though now really puts me in awe of this film.
Number one, Clark Gable is the man. He's definitely one of those guys that you just want to have a few beers with...him and his sweet mustache.
Vivien Leigh is remarkable playing one of the most iconic characters in film - Scarlet O'Hara. Who, by the way, is a gold digging bitch who only cares about money and herself. That's literally the entire premise of this movie - how does Scarlet O'Hara get back to the top of the money heap. And she loves her sisters husband, I forgot to mention that. She goes through two husbands, both die. She gets depressed, mainly because she has no money. Anyways, it pretty much goes like that for 4 hours.
Scale wise, this is epic and truly phenomenal in scope. It won 10 Oscars, pretty much everything except for Clark Gable - which is lame.
Hattie McDaniel won an Oscar - the first African American to do so, playing Mammy. Apparently her and Clark Gable were good buds too, and Clark Gable refused to go to the opening of the show in Atlanta because she wasn't allowed to go. What a good dude that guy.
And you can't talk about Gone With The Wind without mentioning Clark's final line: Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.
Which is great because he's pretty much just tired of Scarlet's shit. And that's completely understandable because she's a self righteous, pretentious, selfish brat. Her daughter dies, meh...she just wants money and her brother in law. Her sister dies. Same thing. She throws herself down a staircase to murder her unborn child with Rhett Butler. Rinse, lather, repeat.
Yeah. They just need to make a movie about Rhett Butler. More people have to name their kids Rhett.
I'm going to buy this one though that's for sure. Great movie overall, a definitely no doubter for Top 10.
It's an epic, that's for sure. 3 hours 36 minutes....of sand. Of creepy Peter O'Toole. Of a black faced Alec Guinness. Did I mention creepy Peter O'Toole? I don't know how I'd feel if someone other than Peter O'Toole played the role of T.E. Lawrence, but he's just....different. I felt like I was watching a Hipster Arabian Prince. Every phrase out of his mouth, no matter how menial and banal sounded philosophical.
Honestly.
I just don't understand the appeal of this movie. The cinematography is impressive, no doubt. Some of the action sequences are great too, for the time. But Peter O'Toole, while good I guess is just laaaaaaaaaaame. And knowing Peter O'Toole, I'm going to chalk this up to just a terrible character. T.E. Lawrence just sounds like a pretentious air head. Maybe this role would've been better with Ashton Kutcher playing the lead.
I don't know what else to say. This movie is probably in my bottom 10 and it feels so strange. Maybe I watched it at the wrong time of the day, maybe in a weird mood, I don't know. But I just can't see myself watching this again, and even if I did I can't see myself grading this movie higher.
Some loser Brit soldier in WW 1 goes to the Arabian desert to 'help' with the Arabian uprising/war effort. Can they become a democratic society? Who knows! It really is a bit timely in the 21st century, but I still think you could have made this movie 2 hours. And a lot less shitty.
3.5 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHOOT ME!!!! This is an artists recreation of me (on the right...slightly tanned) trying to decipher/watch this flick. Da fuk?!?!
As soon as I started watching this (which was conveniently on the History Channel two days ago, so I recorded it), I had to post something on Facebook about it. This movie should be required viewing in school - no matter what. Even within the first 5 minutes of the movie it's evident that no other movie should be above this one on AFI's Top 100, or any list.
Which got me thinking about my first post. I was going to rank these movies based on how much I 'enjoyed' them. I obviously did not enjoy this movie. I don't enjoy any aspect of this movie. But at the same time I love this movie. The film making here, for what film making should be - telling a story that people feel need to be told, might never be matched. Holy hell this movie is making me think why I like movies.
Most movies ask the audience to question themselves, and I don't believe that Schindler's List is questioning many things about me per se...it's just telling me a story. It needs to tell a story. There's no point in sugar coating it and that's why Spielberg is the best. This is a true story, these things happened and they need to be remembered.
The use of black and white to tell the story is outstanding, especially juxtaposing it the girl in the red coat halfway through the film. To signify the bleakness of the entire situation.
Hiring a pretty much unknown in Liam Neeson to portray Oskar Schindler (who Spielberg himself had never heard of, but fell in love with the story), and some of the most incredible acting by Ralph Fiennes in any movie add to an already unbelievably real cast. This movie was 30 years in the making through various productions and companies, from MGM to Paramount. From Warren Beatty to Liam Neeson. From Roman Polanski to Spielberg.
Spielberg had to edit Jurassic Park at night in order to stay sane, and even had Robin Williams call him once a week to make him laugh.
Spielberg couldn't bring himself to direct many of the scenes, letting the cameras roll and just sitting back - with no words. Nothing to say.
The stars did align to come to the point where we were able to witness a perfect story being told.
The perfect piece of film making, to somehow depict the worst (and still at the same time, best) side of humanity.
Spielberg wanted the overly vicious scenes (the annexing of Krakow, the shower scene, to name a few) to be so realistic that they were unbearable to watch.
This movie is so 'unbearable to watch' that it comes full circle to the 'need to watch'.
Sadly it's come to an end....the final James Stewart (and Hitchcock) movie on the list.
Vertigo is actually ranked #1 on the BFI List (British Version). Look, I'm not one to side with Americans on many things, nothing really. But the Brits took a swing and a miss with that one. Although, so did the Yankees.
Vertigo is a good movie, but honestly? It's not even the best Hitchcock film, let alone worthy of a Top 10 here. Out of three Hitchcock films, I'd put them in this order: Rear Window, Psycho, Vertigo. When according to AFI, it's the opposite. Meh, can't please them all.
It's a good enough story - though lacking in any suspense/mystery/freaky aspects that you'd expect from Hitchcock. To me, it's more so just a standard crime drama with an unfortunate ending (not style wise, plot wise...not a happy ending). That, at least, is very Hitchcockian. Did I just make that word up?
Carry on.
Jimmy Stewart is great as always, and you see something you rarely see from him in his movies - in multiple scenes he is freaked out as shit. You can see it in his eyes, despair, fear, it's great on his part.
It didn't matter much back in the day, but even Hitchcock had to admit he had an issue with Stewart being twice the age (literally) as his love interest (Kim Novak). He was 50 Alfred. You cast him after all. But this very well could be standard Hitchcock drumming up press/interest. He was known to do that - even creating fake fueds on the set between co stars.
But I'm trying to think why this movie, of the three on the list, is in the Top Ten. Why not Rear Window? Or Psycho? Both were pretty revolutionary in terms of approach and filming style. Vertigo did introduce a pretty crazy technique that gives the audience the feeling that they too are suffering a bout of vertigo due to acrophobia. Which is pretty crazy in and of itself, but apart from that it's a simple murder/setup/frame someone else type of movie.
Hey, at least I was able to see Jimmy Stewart again before I finished this thing - and within shooting distance of a Bogie and Clark Gable film. The ultimate triad. Look at those too pimps!
I plan to write one post for every entry in the Top Ten. The first just happens to be The Wizard of Oz.
Growing up I never really liked this movie, but oddly enough my wife loves this movie. So I had to give it another shot. I just remember as a kid that I thought the munchkins were stupid and the flying monkeys scared the shit out of me. And let's be fair, as a child it's more of a 'girl' movie. I mean, if the Tin Man ended up being Sgt. Slaughter, the Scarecrow Brutus the Barber Beefcake and the Cowardly Lion was Cobra Commander then I'd be all over it!
Alas, I didn't write this book.
What's been pretty great in doing any research for this blog is that I end up reading the Wikipedia page for every movie and learn a lot of interesting tidbits. For example, and I had heard this before, but Shirley Temple was pegged to play Dorothy originally...but they didn't like the way she sang. Enter stage left: Judy Garland.
If only Judy had started her barbiturate addiction while filming the flying monkey scene, that would be precious. Or maybe those poppies that make them pass out were the ultimate gateway drug for her. And that white powdery 'snowy' stuff that makes them all alert and wakes them up...is that really snow?
Anyways, I digress.
The original Scarecrow and the original Tin Man originally were to play each other's roles but the Tin Man idolized the actor who played the Scarecrow on Broadway or something like that and forced them to switch. No biggie I guess.
At the end of the day, watching it again all the way through as an adult (questionable) it really is an impressive movie. A few things, apart from the crazy story, is how colorful this film is. You know, that's probably about all I like about this movie.
Oh, Toto is pretty awesome too.
What I don't get, is that at the beginning of Dorothy's adventure in Oz - she's already got the slippers on. And the 'good' witch could've just told her right then and there to click her heels and all this crazy shit would go away. But no.
At the end of the day, for 1939 this is pretty impressive. It lost Best Picture to Gone With the Wind. Maybe if Clark Gable played Toto or something it would've had a chance. Or if Oz was really Gettysburg or Savannah.
Not my favorite, but maybe I should crush 12 beers and watch it. That would probably help.
So, we're almost there. #20 to #11 wasn't my favorite bunch. Some great ones but I feel there's a big drop off if enjoyment between the top half and the bottom half.
Without further adieu, here are my own rankings of the second to last bunch.
#10 - City Lights (AFI #11)
Here's the ending...don't hate me, I didn't watch it
#9 - The General (AFI # 18)
Well, here's the whole movie. Do with it what you will
#8 - Sunset Blvd (AFI #16)
Creepy look, but great scene
#7 - The Graduate (AFI #17)
Honestly, why is he complaining?
#6 - 2001: A Space Odyssey (AFI #15)
I'm sorry Dave...
#5 - On the Waterfront (AFI #19)
Oscar winner, right here
#4 - The Searchers (AFI #12)
John Wayne ftw
#3 - Psycho (AFI #14)
Uhhh yeah, I think I'll take a bath
#2 - Star Wars: A New Hope (AFI #13)
No one remembers that Luke's hair is slick with garbage juice...gross
#12 - The Searchers
Alright, so this made a big jump over the last decade in AFI's Top 100. The previous ranking was in the high 90's and now it jumps all the way to 12th. This is often seen as the best Western ever made and I can see why.
The one thing that hasn't been on this list much are Westerns. There are three. The exact same number of SILENT FILMS. Are you kidding me?
Well the good news is that The Duke is in this one, and he's not screwing around. While the other two Westerns have a combined total of 12 gun shots, this is infinitely more violent. The way a good Western should be!
And it's plain and simple, Cowboys vs Indians. John Wayne just walks around being hardcore the entire film, hates Indians. Which is good because Indians steal his niece and kill his brother. Do not! I repeat DO NOT ever piss off the Duke.
Anyways, it takes years for them to ever find her - and when they do the Duke has his way with the Indian Comanche chief. Throw in a little Stockholm Syndrome on the girls part, but what are you going to do - stay in the teepee when the Duke scalps your Indian husband? I wouldn't.
Oddly enough this movie wasn't even nominated for any Academy Awards, despite having some amazing cinematography and one of the most iconic final scenes ever. And this movie is to be said to be one of Martin Scorsese's favorites, and inspired the final episode of Breaking Bad - according to Vince Gilligan. I'm still trying to piece that together.
You want a Western? You got a Western, care of John Wayne. The way it should be.
#11 - City Lights
Well well well. The final silent film. This time a Charlie Chaplin one.
Veto.
Hey, I had one left and my schedule is getting tight. If you've stayed up to date on this blog then you know I'm just not a huge fan of silent films. This one looked ok but after 10 minutes I thought - I could be doing better things here.
I read the synopsis online and it just really looked like too much to really care about in 87 minutes....with no sound. But, if you're so inclined I hear it's one of the best silent films ever. But there's 47 others on this list that I'd recommend first.
Yeah this movie is quite the spectacle. I'm far too stupid though to try and 'figure it out' on my first screening. I'm sure there's some evolutionary type stuff in there, rebirth, religious undertones....but for gods sake, can we hurry it up a bit?
If this movie were to be remade in today's world of fast action, quick pace - it'd be done in 35 minutes. Instead, let's tack 2 hours onto that since it was the first of it's kind and just listen to nothing. Watch 'nothing' really happen. The sounds of breathing sound good right? Right? Yeah we'll dominate the box office!
And I'm pretty sure all Kubrick ever wants to do is screw with your head. If you recently just had a pound of mushrooms then all the better. This will be your favorite movie of all time.
Space. It definitely is daunting. Add monkeys and evolution and aliens and a self aware computer with a creepy voice (a Canadian btw, who's only previous acting accolade was playing William Lyon McKenzie...Canada ftw!), and you've got a pretty badass movie. Kubrick truly is an amazing film maker, I just wish he wasn't so pretentious.
This movie is epic, and the last 22 minutes really gave me a headache...I just wish I was wasted or high or something to truly 'get it'. But I guess that's what you get when you watch it at 11am. Visually stunning though, mind fuck for sure.
Watch this movie, but so you know....this is what those final minutes feel like when synced with Pink Floyd.
I'm not joking. This is one of those conspiracy theories that if you play Pink Floyd perfectly against this - it fits satanically.
It really does. And no joke - this is the last 27 minutes of the film.
#14 - Psycho
This Hitchcock character sure knows how to make a great film. His only other entry in this list was far back but still one of my favorites - Rear Window. And where that is freaky and scary, Psycho takes it to a whole different level.
First off, Janet Leigh and the scene that everyone knows. She gets dummied in a shower. And by dummies, I mean stabbed to death. Let's be honest, even if Norman Bates wasn't crazy, she had it coming to her. She did steal $40,000 after all.
Apart from that, the actor who plays Norman Bates and his mother (spoiler alert), whose name I'm too lazy to go check, is probably the best actor in the whole film. But who cares about actors when you've got an amazing Director like Hitchcock behind the camera.
If you hadn't have seen this movie before, you'd think that the creepiest part would be the shower scene. First, you're crazy because it involves a fully naked Janet Leigh. Second, you're just straight out wrong because the creepiest scene is in the end with Janet Leigh's sister in the film 'meeting' Norman Bates' mother.
Yup. That's some crazy shit right there. Like....check it out, this is from 1960 and you're going to tell me that you wouldn't be scared?
#13 - Star Wars: A New Hope
What can there be said about this movie that hasn't already been said? Obviously enjoyable and one of my favorite movies growing up ever.
It's just a fun story, you can't beat it. There's not much to add as everyone knows the story. A few observations though.
- No one can aim for shit.
- The original is better than the 90's remake (which I had on bluray)
- The score is absolutely unmatched and one would be fair to say that John Williams meant more to the Star Wars saga than George Lucas himself (true story)
- Mark Hamill (nee Cock Knocker) is a little bitch (except when playing Cock Knocker...that's a Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back reference btw)
- For a Battle Station as big as a moon....to only send 6 Tie Fighters to stop a potentially catastrophic siege of the Death Star? Yeah....stupid Empire.
- I need more Chewie.
Anyways, don't have to say much. I love this movie, I love The Empire Strikes Back more but hey, what can you do.
#17 - The Graduate
Thank god there was no apple pie around. And I thought no one more awkward than Shit Brick would be taking down an attractive older looking friend's mom. Then along came Dustin Hoffman. You take the pie...I mean cake my good man.
You gotta hand it to Anne Bancroft though. You break it you bought it I guess you could say. What's this movie about you might ask? An attractive middle aged woman seduces a super awkward neighbor who just returned from college. He's awkward. Super awkward in only the way Dustin Hoffman can be 40 years later.
But hey, he just got the V card freshly laminated and it's hanging out in his new Voltron velcro wallet. What other choice does he have?
That's right. None.
But wait, what kind of plot is that? Oh....he then falls in love with her daughter.
Good news though! The mom is pyscho and just wants to William Hung all day long regardless of her daughters feelings. There's definitely some billable hours in the future coming towards that household.
Simon and Garfunkel crush the soundtrack which is a great overlay when they're...well...reminiscing? Commiserating?
Anyways, despite the emotionally incestuous actions of the girls mom, Anne Bancroft....I think they end up happily ever after? I'm not sure. The whole time I was trying to figure out who was shorter. Paul Simon or Dustin Hoffman (Hoffman btw, by 0/07 meters according to Google).
Either way, the movie ends with him and his girlfriend looking out the back of a bus on the way out of town...odds are to Hobitton...after he breaks up her impending marriage to some other dude. Pretty much if you've seen that episode of the Simpsons where Abe breaks up the marriage of Marge's mom to Mr. Burns. Yeah, that's the last 15 minutes of this movie. Complete with Simon & Garfunkel.
The ending is enjoyable but I'm not sure if that's because I really enjoyed it or because I had the connection with the Simpsons.
Awkward.
#16 - Sunset Blvd
Another pretty crazy film noir made the list. And the premise is super tongue in cheek given the era.
An old silent movie star got lost in the shuffle of the new era of film (the ones with sound). She was hot shit then but nothing now. However she still holds onto that visage of being a celebrity, on Sunset Blvd. Waiting for her comeback...
There are some great references to what's going on at the time, current movie stars, films, etc. And the movie itself is a great homage to the new 'era' of film. The movie the Artist - while not a film noir - is about this whole silent to sound concept, although ironically it's in silence. Another great movie btw.
Long story short, she falls in love with a screenwriter who's there to write with her and she thinks she's making a big comeback. While really everyone is just placating her.
Then she turns the crazy up to 11.
I'm not going to spoil it for you because it's got a great ending, one that's extremely creepy but monumental for cinema.
#20 - It's A Wonderful Life
It sure is! Almost everyone has seen this movie, it's a Christmas classic. Which is funny because apart from the last quarter of the film being on Christmas Eve...and it being about redemption, etc - there's nothing about this film that says Christmas. Frankly, Easter would be the better Christian holiday to show this film around if we're talking about rebirth here. But this blog isn't about that. Did I like this movie?
Jimmy Stewart? Check. Christmas? Check. That's about all I need to enjoy a movie.
As stated before, this was Jimmy Stewart's first movie after coming back from the War. His favorite role, his favorite movie. Frank Capra's favorite movie as well (the Director). What else do you have to say about this movie?
One draw back of this film is how long it takes to get to the premise of it. Over an hour and a half is building of the story line, why George Bailey did this, how he got to this predicament, etc. Then the last 30 minutes Clarence arrives, sans wings (where's the Red Bull when you need it?), showing him how shitty Bedford Falls would be if he was never born. He figures out his life is far better off...bing bang boom, he lives happily ever after.
A few things of note: He names his youngest daughter Zuzu? Uhhhh, did Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow name this kid? Second, Mr. Potter just steals the $8K. Seriously, that's fraud, theft and just plain douchebaggery. Third, I was checking out the wikipedia page for the movie and it says that they're making a sequel???? Apparently it's the guardian angel of Zuzu, she's gone evil or something like that. I'm just hoping if Jimmy Stewart's ghost isn't in this, then at least Robocop or Chewbacca is.
Anyways, Jimmy Stewart....again....is phenomenal. I'm not going to go into detail about what he's trying to describe here....I'll let you use your imagination. He's probably explaining how wicked he is.
#19 - On the Waterfront
Finally another young Brando film on this list! While I don't think he's as good as he was in A Streetcar Named Desire (although he did win an Oscar for On the Waterfront), he's still pretty good in this one.
Damn Unions...always ruining the party. At least corrupt ones. So this is a pretty simple flick - guys working on the docks, run by a crooked Union boss who'll kill anyone who starts to think about going to the cops about the corruption. Along comes Marlon Brando, who awhile back was a great boxing prodigy but was forced to throw the fight so the corrupt Union boss could win some bets - which ultimately leads to the best scene between him and his brother in a cab ("I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody")
Long story short, John C. Reilly - in probably his second role, is a helpful (?) priest who tries to sway the dock workers to do the right thing and go to the police. Throw in a couple dead dock workers, a few pigeon races, a relationship of sorts (how did she win best actress for 10 minutes of screen time?) all leads to a pretty good confrontation at the end of the movie.
Pretty good movie, Brando is great. The acting in general is pretty good too. I'll never trust Unions ever again.
#18 - The General
Finally, another silent film shows up. Not that I was looking forward to it. I don't know what it is, I just can't get up for one of these. At least I could follow this one and watched it all the way to the end. And I guess it has a good story line.
Guy from the South is a good engineer, not a good enough soldier so can't fight in the Civil War. He overhears how the North is going to steal a train from the South which would break the war wide open. The train gets stolen, with this guys hopefully girlfriend on it (who looks like a dude I might ad).
Anyways, calamity ensues...some chuckles (not really, I'm being nice). And 75 minutes later the movie is over. Well that was easy.
Just wanted to chime in here with a post about what I have to face before April 1st.
20 movies left. Here's the running time of each.
1
Citizen Kane
119
2
The Godfather
175
3
Casablanca
102
4
Raging Bull
129
5
Singin' In the Rain
103
6
Gone With the Wind
238
7
Lawrence of Arabia
216
8
Schindlers List
195
9
Vertigo
128
10
The Wizard of Oz
102
11
City Lights
87
12
The Searchers
119
13
Star Wars: A New Hope
121
14
Psycho
109
15
2001: A Space Odyssey
160
16
Sunset Blvd
110
17
The Graduate
106
18
The General
75
19
On the Waterfront
108
20
It's a Wonderful Life
130
So everyone knows, that's a total of 2,632 minutes of movie watching. Or just shy of 44 hours. That's more than a normal work week. Which means, I'm actually going to have to wake up as if I'm going to work. I'm definitely going to get couch sores here.
I'm confident I can do this, but just also wanted to point out one grueling run of three movies.
8 - Schindler's List (3 hours, 15 minutes)
7 - Lawrence of Arabia (3 hours, 36 minutes)
6 - Gone With the Wind (3 hours, 58 minutes)
I'm going to try and squeeze in as many as possible. It's a Wonderful Life tonight hopefully between intermissions and after the Leafs game. Then hopefully 4 tomorrow. I might have to watch halfs of movies before bed then pick it up in the morning. I'm not sure...any advice would be good.
The good news though, April 1st is a Tuesday so I've got 8 full days.
So here's a recap of movies #30 - #21. It really started strong but fizzled towards the end until capping off with Chinatown. Here's my ranking of the ten I just watched.
#10 - All About Eve (AFI #28)
I vetoed this, couldn't stand the first 30 minutes...see for yourself
#9 - The Grapes of Wrath (AFI #23)
Henry Fonda yes, rest of movie no
#8 - Some Like It Hot (AFI #22)
Drag, blonde bombshell...I'll stick with Ms. Monroe
#7 - E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (AFI #24)
A classic for many, not me. I prefer wartime Spielberg
#6 - To Kill a Mockingbird (AFI #25)
Gregory Peck is amazing - I'll buy whatever he's selling
#5 - High Noon (AFI #25)
The theme song from the beginning gives away the whole movie
#22 - Some Like It Hot
Uhhhh. What to say about this 'comedy'.....you know, I read a bunch of posts on IMDB with people saying that this was one of the best comedies ever. I guess things evolve over time, and if - according to current comedic gauges - could you consider this still one of the best comedies ever? Not for me, I'd rather watch a Pauly Shore film....preferably In the Army Now.
Were there some parts where I laughed? No doubt, but I really didn't find it that funny. I guess it's on the list because it was one of the first real comedies like this? I don't know, but I'm finding that to be a trend with this list. Ground breakers tend to be on it, even if some that came after surpassed them in quality, if you're first you're on the list.
So what does this movie have that you might like? Marilyn Monroe - bombshell. Singer, actress, model....yeah it works. Jack Lemmon is in it too. Two guys dress in drag to fool the mob, an old guy falls in love with one of them - of course it's all HILARIOUS!
A guy pops out of a cake and murders a bunch of dudes at the end....big laughs. I guess I'm lucky I didn't use a veto on this one...way to stick it out Tim!
I'd pass on this one again.
#21 - Chinatown
Here we go - now this is what I'm talking about. Jack Nicholson before he was type cast as Jack Nicholson. Great film noir, all around great movie - and who would've suspected with it being centered around people drowning in reservoirs during a drought in L.A.? Riveting.
If you're looking for a good crime drama - pick this one up. Great ending to the film as well, albeit the 'twist' is a little wonky and kind of barf inducing. OH! And unless I'm mistaken, this is the first movie with nudity in it on the list. Good ole Faye Dunaway, you just can't resist Jack. Jack's the man, who could resist him? And as much chest as you flash Faye, it won't make up for the fact that your annoying sometimes British/sometimes Southern Belle accent has no place in this film.
Your father in the film sounds as American as they get. You were raised in L.A.....you're not British. Stop it. It's frustrating. Ok fine, take your top off. Well, without giving too much away it's fair to say she won't speak with that accent after the movie.
Now, the title of the film. Chinatown? How does this fit whatsoever? Two references to it in the movie. First, Jack Nicholson (who's now a private investigator), was once a cop and his beat was Chinatown. Ok....
Second? The last scenes of the movie happen in Chinatown and apparently that means that 'anything goes in Chinatown' or something like that. Either way, good promotion for those who're looking for adventure/black market goods/pigs hanging in windows/cheap sunglasses/shooting sprees....go to Chinatown!
Good movie though, pretty big fan. And Jack's nose! Wow, that would suck....and to have it sliced open by Roman Polanski of all people. Good thing Jack's nose wasn't 15 years old, because that could've gone south fast....so to speak.
Yeah...this post is going to be about three movies that I wasn't a huge fan of. But To Kill A Mockingbird is probably the least terrible. For a few reasons.
First, Gregory Peck. Tour de force in this movie, great job. If you've seen A Time To Kill then you'd like this however I wish the perspective wasn't through the children's eyes. And that Samuel L Jackson was in it as well. But hey, I didn't read the book...I mean novel...so I guess I can't complain on that end. A lot of these older movies, like Grapes of Wrath are from the novels, verbatim. Bru. Tal.
Second. The ending of this movie is where it's at though. While the court scenes and the litigation unbelievable, it's all for not...then BAM...Robert Duvall shows up as Boo Radley. I had no idea! Robbie Duvall has got to be in the most movies on this list...him and Jimmy Stewart. Impressive my man.
Anyways, would I recommend this movie? Not really. I'd recommend you Youtube the ultimate court scene at the end and Atticus Finch's closing arguments. That's phenomenal.
#24 - E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
Ok, I'm not going to say much about this movie. I'm not a big fan. I didn't even like it when I was a kid. On second viewing, still not a fan.
Good special effects? Ya.
Annoying? Oh yeah.
Sorry any ET fans but this was not a big part of my childhood and I'm probably biased now that I watched it again. ET, go home. Seriously....like now. Take all of your 30 year anniversary editions with you.
Yeah. Peace out.
#23 - The Grapes of Wrath
So whats up with this movie? Henry Fonda gets out of jail and his family is destitute. They travel to California in hopes of being...less destitute? Anyways, he can't keep out of trouble so he leaves. Then they keep hitting the road since California was not the answer to their problems. Lose lose here folks.
So Henry Fonda circa 1940 looks like Kevin Harvick. That's pretty much all I was thinking about.
#27 - High Noon
The second Western on the list, one more to go. So I thought Shane was the stereo typical Western, boy was I wrong. This. This is the stereo typical Western (at least until the next one I see).
One thing that confused me though, the movie starts off with the Marshall (50 ish) getting married to his Quaker wife (20 tops....not tooo shabby). He goes to leave on his honeymoon but some dude he put away in prison who was supposed to hang....gets let off somehow and is arriving...by train to mess him up (presumably)....at....HIGH NOON! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Anyways, that's the whole movie. Him coming back and trying to get anybody in the town to help him out and shoot this guy. There's only 4 bad guys, like honestly...just set up properly with 2 guys and you could take them out. That's it. But everyone is a big baby. They all bail, which I'm sure is a commentary on America at the time...well at least that's what the Duke said. He hated this movie, so I guess I had to disagree with Mr. Wayne on this one. So literally no one helps him....but he still wins. So there you go.
I liked it. If you need to get accustomed to Westerns, try this one. But just like Shane, don't expect a big shoot em up. Even less violence than Shane, and it's all at the end. But, for those needing celebrities...a young Lloyd Bridges is the new baby Marshall who's a giant loser....I expected more. I appreciated him more in Blown Away. Remember that one, with his son Jeff, and Tommy Lee Jones? Great movie.
How'd that not make this list?
#26 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Jimmy Stewart. Boy oh boy. Don't ever change you charming son of a bitch.
If you hadn't figured it out by now, Jimmy Stewart is my favorite actor...the guy can flat out act and I think he'd probably love to down a pint or two with you and bitch about the AFC North domination...well back in the day. When he was alive. But the guy is the man.
Does everyone remember the Simpsons episode when Lisa wins an essay contest and has to go to Washington to compete in the National essay competition but overhears something that is evidence of Senate corruption? Then she goes to the Lincoln memorial to right herself? Yeah...that's a rip off of this movie.
Anyways, great movie. Partial comedy, partial drama. I just wish it didn't end so abruptly. Also, a great little flick to explain some political nuances....you know, like what a filibuster is. Pretty much that's what the entire movie is about.
But in all seriousness, when Jefferson Smith is 3/4 through his filibuster against the corrupt Senate, and he needs some help - Jean Arthur sends him a note that, when he reads it, is truly one of the best feel good moments in movie history.
Such a good movie, and Claude Rains plays a great part in this...and he's from my favorite movie Casablanca which helps out a ton.
I immediately bought this movie after I finished watching it. There's a solid chance it's in my Top 3 thus far, if not my top movie.
Jimmy Stewart. Don't go changing. Well, if you could come back to life that'd be awesome. But apart from that, you're wicked and I profess my love for you. True story. Just look at this guy.
#30 - Apocalypse Now
Francis Ford Coppola is 2 for 2 on this list so far. A lot of people don't like Apocalypse Now, I'm not one of them. This movie is amazing, with deep meaning that goes much further than just a pretty bad ass war movie.
At the very least, you have to be in awe of all of the incredible actors that came out for this one.
Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford, Laurence Fishburne, Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper...unreal. All of them with outstanding performances. Marlon Brando is creepy as hell yet somewhat sophisticated in his disturbingly scary and insane portrayal of Colonel Hurtz. Dennis Hopper. Wow, Dennis Hopper isn't in this until the end but he's really 'Dennis Hopper' like.
A lot of people will remember Robert Duvall's role, or at least his helicopters as it's one of the most famous scenes in all movie history - The Flight of the Valkyries leading into "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!"
Are there some historical inaccuracies in this movie? Yeah...I sincerely doubt that helicopter brigades would go in full force before anyone else. I also doubt there'd be a midnight USO show, nor Christmas lights all over the place. Regardless, this movie - in my mind - is a masterpiece. That's 2 masterpieces from Coppola so far.
The horror. The horror.
Go see this movie.
#29 - Double Indemnity
So at the beginning of this whole thing, I had heard of all of these....with 1 exception. Double Indemnity. So I looked it up. Old.....great. At least all of the other old movies I had heard of for good reason. But, a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do.
This movie was something else. An original film noir - some definite dark content. Pretty sexy without being obvious like today. No sex scenes, no swearing but some pretty fancy dialogue with a double entendre every three seconds.
It's pretty normal film noir stuff, but in 1944 it's epic and controversial. An insurance salesman falls in love with a neglected and beautiful wife. They conspire to get her husband to sign up for accidental death insurance (forged) with a double indemnity clause (if you die of certain things you get double the settlement...aka fall off of a train).
They kill the husband, throw him off a train and look to live happily ever after. Until the guys insurance company starts getting suspicious. Either way, its a great ending and great movie in general. Very surprising stuff. I'd also really recommend this movie, it will throw you for a loop.
#28 - All About Eve
So....I gave this 20 minutes or so. Second veto. Just wasn't my style. Maybe it was the fact that I knew it was 2.5 hours and maybe if it was an hour shorter I would have stuck it out. I couldn't do it here...the perils and social backstabbing that goes on in Hollywood. Big surprise.
Two things at least. The first is that the nurse from Rear Window is in this. That's all. And the second is that this movie won a ton of Oscars. But hey, the Academy makes mistakes eh? English Patient anyone???
Sorry guys, I couldn't do it. Saved me time though.
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