Great Films and Greater Reviews

In 2007, the American Film Institute announced its ranking of the 100 greatest American movies of all time. If all these films were lost to mankind except for the works by Wilder, Kubrick, The Godfather, and of course Citizen Kane, the art form would endure and film students from the future would be none the less the wiser.

Nota Bene:
Since I refused to use the Facebook app and have my personal information compromised (along with all the information about my friends), I have downloaded the AFI list and indicated if I have seen the film and have provided thumbnail reviews. So far I have commented on the first 20 greatest films. More to come, time permitting.

1. Citizen Kane (1941) - Yes
Best film hands down. If you don’t like this film, you are not worthy. Go and be worthy. If you don't understand why it tops everyone's list, read Pauline Kael's book and get a clue.

2. Casablanca (1942) - Yes
Overrated but good. When they play La Marseillaise to drown out Deutschland Uber Alles, I tear up every time. I crack up every time Claude Rains and Humphrey Bogart walk away from the plane the end of the movie.

3. The Godfather (1972) - Yes
Brilliant, sprawling masterpiece. Amazing camera work. Would be the mob film if Welles made a mob film. Eisenstein must be proud to see what Coppola did with the concept of montage. Coppola must rend his robes whenever someone asks him if he saw SCTV's parody of his film.

4. Gone with the Wind (1939) - Yes
Plodding and terribly over-romanticized depiction of slavery; not enough gore from the battlefield. However that crane shot of Scarlet tending to the wounded saves the film. And when she ate that turnip.

5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - Yes
Great study of megalomania and Peter O'Toole is so goddamn pretty; however, David Lean should have left in that s/m Jose Ferrer scene.

6. The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Yes
Along with Sleeping Beauty, this is my favorite childhood film. Great songs, an unforgettable classic. Too bad Buddy Ebsen was allergic to the aluminum paint.

7. The Graduate (1967) - Yes
The original cougar movie. The entire cast is superb. Not sure if it would be as brilliant if Simon-Garfunkle hadn't done the soundtrack. Now that I think of it, this movie is the proto-MTV video.

8. On the Waterfront (1954) - Yes
Powerful film with powerful performances. Brando and Malden in their primes. The showdown with Johnny Friendly at the climax of the film is one of the greatest endings (or at least a contender) for any film I have ever seen.

9. Schindler's List (1993) - Yes
Pretty good for a movie about the Holocaust, and I would be ill-advised to knock a Holocaust movie. It is a bit long though and that ending with the red coat. Bad. Someone needs to stop Spielberg from ruining his movies in the editing room.

10. Singing' in the Rain (1952) - Yes
One of the most clever movies ever made. Donald O'Connor is phenomenal. And that other guy, what's his name? Not a bad dancer.

11. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - Yes
Like Beethoven's 5th, familiarity of this film has bred contempt. It was great the first 200 times I saw it. Perhaps if I don’t see for a while and view it in 2020, I will have a renewed appreciation for it. I like this movie, but like Sound of Music, I know all the lines and have stopped enjoying it long ago.

12. Sunset Blvd. (1950) - Yes
Saw this one just the other day on TCM. Wilder was very smart to use actual old school actors to play Swanson's pals. The inclusion of Erich von Stroheim as the butler was genius. The cheeky dialog makes the film much more than an inverted plucky noir flick.

13. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - Yes
Another amazing character study directed by David Lean. Gotta love a movie where the British are so proper even under duress and so stupid and so terribly stubborn. And how can you not love the Colonel Bogey March?

14. Some Like It Hot (1959) - Yes
Even Marilyn is good in this movie. She spreads across the bed in many shots like a sultry, bloated cow or like Anna Nicole Smith. Tony Curtis has wonderful comic timing, and the sexual tension between Jack Lemmon & Joe E. Brown is humorously played without being pejorative. Billy Wilder had an incredible touch as a director.

15. Star Wars (1977) - Yes
Yawn. Like Tron, glad to have seen it when I was 12, but it is nothing more than a vapid cowboy movie set in space. It has it moments and is heroic at times, but Chewbacca doesn’t get enough screen time.

16. All About Eve (1950) - Yes
George Sanders steals every scene. Extremely intelligent and witty film packed with memorable lines and tight performances. Bette Davis is pure brilliance.

17. The African Queen (1951) - Yes (sorta)
Seen it a couple of times and don’t recall why it's so celebrated. I remember scenes of Bogey pulling the boat and Hepburn bitching with mosquito netting on her head, and that's about it. Needs another screening.

18. Psycho (1960) - Yes
Perkins is deliciously creepy in this film. Watched it a dozen times. See if you don’t start sympathizing with Norman by the 13th viewing. You, too, will be cheering him on during the shower scene.

19. Chinatown (1974) - Yes (sorta)
Jack is good and so is Dunaway, but I don't remember much of the plot. Need to see it again, even if it is a Polanski film.

20. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Yes
A masterful ensemble performance. Every scene is executed with precision. The ups and downs are so fast in this movie. Very powerful in its manipulation of mood and immediacy. Brad Dourif is esp. great. Glad Lily Tomlin did not end up playing Nurse Ratched. That would have been horribly wrong.