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(....continuing on the AFI's new 100 greatest american movies list....)
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21. "Chinatown
," 1974.- I read a great book
about Hollywood and the movies a couple years ago and Chinatown was a movie the author dwelt on quite a bit. So I'm totally excited to someday maybe getting around to watching it. Totally.22. "Some Like It Hot
," 1959.- No one is going to deny this movie is entertaining, but I don't understand the love people throw at it. What's the deal? It's a couple guys in drag! And Marilyn in a really hot dress! This is Great Art?!?!?!
Cool.
23. "The Grapes of Wrath
," 1940.- Um, I've driven by the Keene Ranch many times. And yeah, the history here affects my home county pretty heavily. But no, I just don't care. I don't know if I ever will.
24. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
," 1982.- Am I the only person of my generation who thinks this movie is totally overrated and not worth my time?
25. "To Kill a Mockingbird
," 1962.- A good movie, certainly. Haven't seen it in years, but would not mind seeing it again.
26. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
," 1939.- Claude Rains rocked Casablanca and he rocks this movie as well. Jimmy Stewart rocked Vertigo and It's a Wonderful Life and he rocks this movie as well. This is the American Dream--not in a monetary sense, but in a Raise Hell in the Bureaucracy sense, which is every bit as powerful a dream.
27. "High Noon
," 1952.- Holy smokes, have you seen this movie??? It is awesome. Gary Cooper can kick your dad's trash! And not only that, but he's so...quiet. noble. good. Not many heroes like him.
28. "All About Eve
," 1950.- This movie deserves all the love it gets and more. If you haven't seen that girl sneak into Bette Davis's life, you cannot imagine how awful life can get. This is one of the few movies I am absolutely opposed to remaking, no matter that the story is excellent and a new generation should see it. You cannot remake perfection. Not even for boucoup box office.
29. "Double Indemnity
," 1944.- You know this movie, right? Well, you should--it does mention Tehachapi after all. If you ever get tired of Barbara Stanwyck being nice
(if such a thing is possible), check out her evil side. And if you only know Fred MacMurray from his flying-cars days, check out his noir side. This is dark and dirty and the sort of evil it's nice to come home to.30. "Apocalypse Now
," 1979.- Haven't seen it. Really want to, but I still haven't really forgiven Joseph Conrad
for the things he did to me in high school. You understand.31. "The Maltese Falcon
," 1941.- The book was good, but I'm much more desperate to see the movie.
32. "The Godfather Part II
," 1974.- Like the Godfather, I got it....I just haven't, you know, bothered to watch it yet. Don't ask me why. I don't have an excuse. Please don't kill me. Or my horse.
33. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
," 1975.- Good movie. Jack's great. The nurse is evil. Billy is heartbreaking. The ending is horrible.
34. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
," 1937.- You're about to read me make a point I'll be making again on this list, which is this: This movie does not belong on this list and was not put here because of its own merits. This movie appears on this list where it does as a representation of the entire art of animation. And that is offensive. As if animation does not deserve to compete fairly with these other films instead of being corralled up, the represented by a single film! It's ridiculous!
Anyway, Snow White isn't even that great. It's just the first that ever there was and it was a huge blockbuster in its day. Arguably more tickets sold to see Snow White on its initial run than any other movie ever (possibly excepting Birth Of A Nation
(off the new list--no doubt due to its blatant racism) and Gone with the Wind). So yes: it's a wildly important flick.But it's really not that great.
And the reason it's here really ticks me off.
35. "Annie Hall
," 1977.- Ah, Woody Allen. My man! I love this movie, buddy. I don't know if it's my personal favorite, but I do love it and it is probably your best. Glad to see it on the list.
36. "The Bridge on the River Kwai
," 1957.- I'm just not that into POW movies. So even though Alec Guinness is in this movie, I probably will never see it. I just can't imagine he'll be all that hilarious in a POW movie. Aren't they usually downers?
37. "The Best Years of Our Lives
," 1946.- I don't know anything about this movie other than Myrna Loy is in it. Ergo it is the greatest movie ever made.
38. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
," 1948.- I have no idea why I have not seen this movie yet. I've been desperate to for years.
39. "Dr. Strangelove
," 1964.- I saw this movie in high school and the only part I really liked was when Keenan Wynn shot the Coke machine (serves 'em right). I didn't find Peter Sellers funny in any of his roles. Knew too much about the plot coming into it. Was a teenager.
People I respect say I should try it again now. That I'll probably like it.
They're probably right.
40. "The Sound of Music
," 1965.- Watched it every year as a kid and always liked it. But that's a lot of watches and I just can't feel anxious to see it again. Not yet. Not yet....
Favorite line from "Double Indemnity" = "Shut up, Baby." And then you start kissing. We do it all the time, and it's hilarious every time--to us, anyway.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love Humphrey Bogart, "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" was tedious and about four hours too long. I'm sorry.
In case you're wondering, I've seen 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 29, 30,31, 33, 34, 36, and 40.
ReplyDeleteA lot of these are movies I saw in high school because my parents are big on indoctrinating us in "the classics". And even though it's dumb I love Some Like it Hot. It makes me laugh every time, especially the very last scene where they are escaping in the boat.
Maybe next time we visit we should all watch the Godfather trilogy. And I think you might like Bridge on the River Kwai. I remember liking it, though I don't know why. I also remember liking Apocalypse Now, but I like Vietnam movies and I've never read Conrad.
I think it's time to go put more movies on hold at the library.
Apocalypse Now was weird and long. Not quite as painful as Heart of Darkness, but weird nonetheless. I wouldn't recommend it.
ReplyDeleteTh.: First of all, thanks for the review - we haven't seen half of these movies and I'm excited to start!! As for Snow White, however, here is my rebuttle:
ReplyDeleteTicket sales aside (which indeed does not make a film good or bad), the artistic points in this movie are above and beyond nearly all of the animated films we see today. The backgrounds alone have enough art to fill several museums several times over, done entirely in oil paint (as opposed to gouche as we see today). The realism and artistry took more than a year alone, and is breathtaking when seen by itself. Furthermore, no other studio, in 37 years of the animation medium, had successfully animated the human figure before Snow White. Drawing a realistic human figure is hard enough, multiply that by roughly 3 million drawings (and several different characters) and you get the idea. If that's not enough, no one, not even Walts brother Roy, supported the making of a full length animated feature. Walts perseverence and strength in the face of adversity deserves praising and commemorating.
In terms of the animation medium, it's just that; a medium, not a genre. An animated film can be a romance, a western, a drama, etc. so having Snow White on the list does not sum up a medium, it is merely a great film that certainly deserves to be among the 100 best!!
Now you know why we go to Disneyland so much :).
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ReplyDeleteI agree that one film cannot sum up a medium--and I think there have been enough great animation movies that more than two should have been on the list. (And I think that the other is Toy Story--another famous first--is very telling.)
We have a copy of Snow White but haven't ever watched it. Maybe I need to bite my tongue and give it another chance.