025 E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

This movie was so popular I doubt very much I need to offer any sort of re-cap, but for the sake of thoroughness, I will just say that this film is about a boy who finds a stray alien and decides to keep him. They become empathically bonded, and E.T. begins to suffer illness, possibley from ingesting whatever he finds in the fridge. When the authorities finally find E.T., they both he and the boy have become very ill. They do everything they can for them, but E.T. doesnt' get any better until his freinds return. He fakes his own death to get all the scientists out of the house, and then the kids smuggle him to the moutaintop where he boards his space ship and escapes.

ONe of my favoirte aspects fo this film is the accurate portrayal of chldren. They are not always loveable, but they are always honest.

024 Raging Bull (1980)

This is the tragically sad story of a real-life prize fighter. It a rags to riches to rags story that just left me heart broken.

023 The Maltese Falcon (1941)

This is a great old fashioned caper.

022 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

A strange oblisk appears among a group of ape-men (not quite Neanderthals). When it gives off a high pitched sound, they're intelligence level spontaneously evolves to the point that they understand the use of tools. They use them to kill a rival group of ape-men. Then we see a group of people traveling to moon where excavations have revealed another strange oblisk. It generates a signal which can be tracked across the galaxy. Astronauts embark on a mission to follow the signal. They are accompanied by a super smart computer which kills most of them. The sole surviving astronaut completes the journey. He is greeted by a comfortable living space where he grows old and dies. The final image is of an enormous nebula shaped like a human embryo. I have read that we are supposed to understand that this astronaut made the next leap in evolution to a physical state of pure thought - a completely ridiculous story to my way of thinking.

I did appriciate the visuals of the trip to the moon; although, the dialogue was excruciatingly dull. I also enjoyed very much the battle with the super smart computer. That was clever, far-fetched, but clever.

021 The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

This story is all about the dust bowl of the 1930s, but it tries to make a hero of the main character, but there is something weak and stupid about him that I just couldn't forgive.

020 One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1975)

Jack Nicholson's character thinks he can do some easy time if he convinces his warden that he is crazy, and he gets himself transferred to a mental hospital. he raises all kinds of ahvoc while he's there and hen he learns that he won't necessarily be released when his time is up, but he will remain committed until the doctors decide that he is cured. When he chafes at this and other injustices he is subjected to electro-shock therapy and finally labotomized. It's a truly horrific look at the state of mental health care in the 1970s.

019 Chinatown (1974)

This is a beautiful movie. The art direction is first rate. And, it's a totally cool who-done-it with lots of twists and turns. But, the ending is so cynical that it just broke my heart and turned my stomach.

018 Pycho (1960)

This is a good scary movie, but again I think I waited too long to see it. By the time I sat down and watched the whole thing, I had already seen so many clips from it that it did hold my attention properly as a cohesive story. I suspect that the expereicne will improve with repeat viewings. I plan to add this to our annual Halloween festivities.

I really enjoyed all the behind the scenes movie making trivia on the bonus disc. My favorite bit on the bonus disc was learning that the director kept the water warm for the shower scene to make sure his actress was as comfortable as possible for one very long take during which she had to keep her eye wide open.

002 Casablanca (1942)

Casablanca is a night club in Europe run by a cynical American who can't bring himself to care enough about the political situation to do the right thing until the love of his life walks through his door. She's in trouble, and she needs his help to get out of the country. She was in love with someone new, but he was true to his love for her, and he helped her and her new love, and he lost everything in the process. It's a wonderful love-conquers-all story. In the end the Bogart character is completely transformed from an amoral war profiteer to one of the good guys. I only wish I had seen this movie when I was younger (12-13), before I had heard all the best lines quoted and misquoted out of context. I should buy a copy of this film and put on an annual schedule

017 The African Queen (1950)

The African Queen is a little boat. Humphrey Bogart chugs up and down some river in Africa bringing mail and supplies to the villages. One village was established by English minister. When African soldiers arrive and burn it down conscripting the villagers, he has nervous breakdown and heart attack all at once. He dies leaving his sister all alone. Humphrey Bogart offers her a ride to safety, but she convinces him to go after the Germans. This plan requires a dangerous trip through a rapids and a swamp, but they manage it barely. They even build a torpedo, but they are captured before they can use it. The Germans are going to hang them as spies, and Humphrey Bogarts last request is for the captain of the German ship to marry them. Then, right during the ceremony, the African Queen bumps into the German ship and blows it to smithereens. Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn excape safely and live happily ever after.

The bulk of this movie is about Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn sitting in the boat together talking and trying to get along with one another and falling in love with each other. They are very different sorts. Humphrey Bogart is a drunk who only cares about himself but knows how to take care of himself. Katherine Hepburn is an idealistic missionary who cares about patriotism and loyalty, but she doens't seem to know the first thing about living in East Africa. It's a great movie with great actors who are a joy to watch.

016 All About Eve (1950)

This is one of those movies that Hollywood does best: a movie about actors. Eve is a fan who sees every performance of her favorite stage actress. When the actress finally notices her, she invites her back stage, and they get to know each other. The actress hires Eve to work as her assistant. Then, she becomes her understudy, and then a nasty little trick is played in which the actress can't make her show and Eve performs and the critics love her. She gets her own show and wins the Tony award that year, nearly breaking up the actress' family and friends in the process. In the end it is revealed that Eve was never the sweet unassuming fan she appeared to be int he beginning, but she was sort of con artist who planned the whole thing from the begining. It's sort of a behind the scenes story that turns out to be a who-done-it.

015 Star Wars (1977)

I was seven years old when my father and I stood in line at the movie theatre to go see this show. It was amazing. The opening scene with giant space ship was the coolest thing ever. I remember thinking that the storm troopers were robots because of their plastic body armour, but C3PO and R2D2 were the best. The rest was all a blur. I've seen the film dozens of times by now, and I love every minute of it, but it doesn't evoke the same emotion. It's dated. It can't help it. It's a science fiction show full of special effects. The effects are so much better now in the newer pictures, but it still deserves to be on the list. George Lucas had a vision, and it was beautifully realized in this film.

014 Some Like It Hot (1959)

Some Like It Hot is a comedy. It is a simple story of two male musicians who accidently witness a homicide committed by members of organized crime. In order to hide from the criminals, they join a girls band and travel with them to hotel where they are scheduled to play for a an extended engagement. It's always hilarious to watch heterosexual men try to pass themselves off as women. This was the premese behind the popular television series Bosom Buddies starring Tom Hanks. It becomes even funnier when romantic interests are introduced. One of the men falls for Marilyn Monroe. Another man falls for one of the men in drag. In the end they find some way to escape the mob and reveal their true identities to their love interests.

The simple story has been told so many times that the real fun of this movie is Marily Monroe. I've heard so much about her that it was fun to finally see one of her movies. it was stragne to realize that after everything I've heard, in the end, she was just an actress, but she was a wonderful actress. She was a delight to see on the screen.

013 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) was listed as number 13 in the American Film Institutes top 100 list. It is the story of a group of prisoners of war who are captured in Japan during World War II. They are put to work building a bridge for the Japanese military. Most of the prisoners are British, and (after quarrelling with the Japanese commander over the issue of officers doing manual labor) the British commander decides that the troops will do a proper job of building this bridge as a matter of pride and as a way of boosting their moral. The usual procedure for prisoners of war is to do as little as possible so as not to strengthen the enemy position, but the British commander's plan is a good one. The morale of the troops is greatly improved, and it has an extremely positive influence on their health and survival. One of the few American prisoners escapes and makes his way back to the allied position. He is able to give them information about the prison camp and plan a mission to blow up the bridge. Since he knows more about the area than anyone else, they send the American on the mission to blow up the bridge. The climax of the movies has the British troops finishing the bridge with a sign declaring themselves the engineers and walking across the bridge to their new prison camp. During the ceremony the British commander notices the explosives wired to the bridge, and he forgets himself. He forgets that the bridge has served its purpose for his troops. Now it can only serve the enemy. He has put so much of himself into the bridge that he fights to defend it against the allied mission to destroy it. He ends up with his hands around the throat of his former prison companion, and another member of the insertion team has to shoot him in the back. The bridge is destroyed, but so is the British commander and the American escapee.

It's kind of sad story. The British commander is an extremely foreign type character but fascinating at the same time. The production value is very good. The violence and hardship suffered by the troops is clean and not at all gory. I don't think its an accurate representation of life in a Japanese POW camp by any means, but it is a very interesting look into the conflicting psyches of two very different soldiers.

012 Sunset Boulevard

The famous line from this film is: "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." It's a weird story about a writer who can't get a job. Somehow he ends up working for a washed up actress who used to star in silent pictures. He's supposed to be writing the script for her come back, but his heart isn't really in it. He sees her for the has been that she is. He even suspects that she's not completely sane, but he needs the money, and he hasn't guessed that she's dangerous, so he keeps coming back. she imagines that she has fallen in love with him, and he moves in. When he finally tries to break free, she suffers a pychotic break and murders him. In the final scene, her husband convinces her to go quietly with the police by telling her she is on her way to the set of Cecil B. DeMille to shoot a picture, and the press is here, and that's when she delivers her famous line.

There are other cool lines where the lead character derides the advent of talking pictures and color pictures, but all in all, it is a very sad, depressing story.

011 It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

I got really bored with this film several years ago, so its been a long while since I've seen it. I like it well enough, its just been redone in so very many forms that its not so interesting to watch anymore. Maybe after a few more years, I'll be ready to sit through it again.

010 Singin' in the Rain

This film is a delightful romp. I love watching it over and over again. I was horrified to learn that Gene Kelly was an absolute brute to work for. He yelled all the time, but if he ever yelled at Debbie Reynolds, she would be reduced to tears and run off to her trailer, so he always yelled at Donald O'Conner instead. I love Donald O'Conner's number: "Make 'Em Laugh." It exhausting just watching him. "Moses Toeses" is a surprisingly catchy tune, but "Good Morning" is probably my favorite. I love it when the three of them tip the couch over. They look like the best of friends.

009 Schindler's List

I love history, and I love movies, and I love historical movies. I hate it when historical movies lie to us. It's true that Oskar Schindlier was a war profiteer who bribed his guards and ended up spending a fortune to save his Jews. He saved a lot of lives. Steven Spielberg did a good job showing us some of his imperfections. He cheated on his wife. He employed Jews instead of Poles because they were cheaper, and he could maximize his profits. Spielberg showed us a gradual change in his character, but by the end of the film, the change was shown to be complete. The final scene in which he laments that he kept his gold pin and his expensive pen or watch is completely false. Oskar Schindler escaped with a pocket full of diamonds. This film might give a more insightful look into the characters of Itzhak Stern and Amon Goeth. I do appreciate the depiction of the Holocaust: the boy who identified the the dead man as the thief, the woman who identifies the error in engineering the barracks, the creation of the ghetto, the cleansing of the ghetto, the trains to Auschwitz. I did not appreciate the girl in the red coat. I thought that was a cheap shot on the part of the director.

008 On the Waterfront

I thought this was an insightful look into a world that is so different from the ones I have experienced myself. A longshoreman goes from golden boy to pariah among the dock hands. Organized crime has corrupted the labor union. The same organization that spoiled this particular longshorman's chance at a boxing career. In the end, he is able to redeem himself by standing up for himself and his fellow longshoremen, exposing the corruption and breaking the union. It's a very cool story.

006 The Wizard of Oz (1939)

My daughter saw this film for the first time this past Christmas (2006). She was enchanted by the images. She identified most with Glenda the Good Witch rather than Dorothy. She is four years old, and she has a thing for princessess. I don't know what else to write about this film. It's enchanting and endearing and incredibly popular, and it deserves to be. The scarecrow and the tinman have always been my favorites. I think I like the scarecrow because he valued intelligence and I've always fancied myself a smarty-pants. I think I like the tinman for his costume. He sort of looks like a robot or a space man, and I always like science fiction.

006 The Graduate

This is a miserably cynical picture, but it reflects well the times it was made in. A college graduate returns to his parents home with no prospects and no ambition. He is seduced by one of the neighbors and falls in love with her daughter. She is horrified to learn that he is sleeping with her mother, but he still rescues her from a bad marriage, presumably to make a different bad marriage with the title character.

I heard there was a sequel planned once in which the title character seduces his sons girlfriend-yuck.