I love movies but I haven’t seen a lot of what’s considered the “truly great” ones. I’ve always wanted to watch the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Films so it seemed appropriate to add this to my 60 x 60 list. One Hundred films, is a LOT of movies, so I’m breaking it up into blocks of ten (hence the #6.1) Here are the first ten, along with my reviews.
100. Ben-Hur (1959) 212 min.
★★★★☆
Holy latent homosexuality Batman! You can’t tell me Judah Ben-Hur and Messala didn’t have a sordid past. Being a heathen I don’t enjoy religious themed movies in the slightest but…the scenery was incredible even if they did chew the shit out of it. I would have given this 3 stars purely on the excessive length, but the chariot race bumps it up to 4 for its sheer magnitude.
99. Toy Story (1995) 81 min.
★★★★★
LOVE it. I’ve seen it a million times when the kids were little and they were watching it ad nauseum. My favorite of the trilogy is Toy Story 3 though. If you haven’t seen it, and you’ve got kids going off to college or older…watch it. Today.
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) 126 min.
★★★★☆
Even though I knew Cagney was an accomplished singer and dancer, he still surprised me in this role. Anyone who knows me knows I loathe musicals, especially those from this era. (Although I hated La La Land too, so I guess I hate them all.) But this is not exactly a musical; it’s the story of George M. Cohan so the musical aspect appears in theater productions and makes sense. All in all a fun little film.
97. Blade Runner (1982) 117 min.
★★☆☆☆
Holy shit. This futuristic film takes place way into the future of 2019. AND they got them flying cars we were promised by now. Amazing how advanced this movie world is, but they still have CRT computer displays. Los Angeles is depicted in perpetual night time, is constantly rain drenched and is almost exclusively Asian. Though I didn’t enjoy the film, I did fancy those lightsaber handled umbrellas.
96. Do the Right Thing (1989) 120 min.
★☆☆☆☆
Yeah, not so much. The only reason I gave it any stars was because of Giancarlo Esposito’s (Gus Fring of Breaking Bad) unrecognizable role. Other than that…meh.
95. The Last Picture Show (1971) 126 min.
★★☆☆☆
A coming of age story in early 1950’s in a bleak, tumbleweed-ridden soon to be ghost town in Texas. I understand how 1971 audiences found this controversial: Sex between a 40something Cloris Leachman and a school aged Timothy Bottoms; full frontal nudity; sex between high schoolers Jeff Bridges and Cybil Shepherd; Cybil Shepherd and an older gentleman “banging balls” on a pool table; Cybil Shepherd and Timothy Bottoms getting nasty in a convertible. It was just okay.
94. Pulp Fiction (1994) 178 min.
★★★★★
Royale with Cheese. That purely delightful twist contest at Jack Rabbit Slims. The adrenaline shot to the heart. Christopher fucking Walken and the watch up his ass for two years. Marcellus, Butch and the ball gags. Keitel, the cleaner and a car full of brain matter. And finally, the BEST movie soundtrack ever. One of my all time favorite movies!
95. The French Connection (1971) 104 min.
★★★★★
You still picking your feet in Poughkeepsie? I love films set in New York – especially when they take place in the 70s. The clothes, the cars, the places that have long since been shuttered, and those old subway cars. (If you love that stuff as much as I do, check out this link to the filming locations then and now.) Foot races, that INSANE car/train chase and the subway cat and mouse. Absolutely no lack of edge of your seat excitement and watching Hackman and Scheider in their prime was just magical. LOVED it! For information on how the car chase scene was filmed – without permission from the city! – click here.
92. Goodfellas (1990) 148 min.
★★★★★
I’m funny how? I’m here to amuse you? Best gangster movie ever. I’ve seen it a half dozen times and I could watch it a dozen more. Liotta, Pesci, DeNiro, Sorvino and Bracco years before she met Tony Soprano. Engaging screenplay, Scorsese’s brilliant directing, stellar acting. Just perfection. Oh. And did I mention the closing credits over The Sex Pistol’s “My Way?” Magnificent.
91. Sophie’s Choice (1982) 157 min.
★★★★★
Is there anything that can be said about this movie or Meryl Streep’s performance that hasn’t been said before? I had seen this movie a number of years ago and was looking forward to watching it again for this challenge. It was as wonderful as I remember except for the small fact that I was watching it on our newly RE-jailbroken Fire Stick and for some reason there were no subtitles during the German scenes. If you’ve seen the film, you know that the pivotal scene – Sophie’s choice – takes place in Germany. So it was a little disappointing to have to watch THAT scene on YouTube just to get the subtitles. Either way, one of the best films ever made in my opinion.
Whew! Over 23 hours of movie watching! Stay tuned for the next ten films.
Completed 9/3/17
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