Behind the scenes on The Godfather

"I remember speaking to several Paramount executives, Jack Ballard in particular, who said that the movie was 'a fucking disaster.' I told him 'I'm going to contribute to the disaster.' I was met by Fred, and we went up into the Gulf+Western building at Paramount and looked at close to an hour of assembled footage, to give me an idea of what had been shot.

"I was not prepared for it. I was absolutely stunned by what I'd seen. It may be the best dailies I'd ever seen. I told that to Francis, and I could see a look of alarm on his face, like he had asked for the advice of a friend who was a little crazy -- because it wasn't what he had been hearing from everyone else.

"From there we went and had a couple of meetings. I had one brief meeting with Marlon, and at that meeting I remember him saying: 'Just once, I would like Vito Corleone not to be inarticulate.' I responded, 'In other words, you want him to talk?'  

Robert Towne tells of being drafted in to write for Coppola on The Godfather, from a new book The Annotated Godfather: The Complete Screenplay by Jenny M. Jones, which I'll be happy to accept as a Christmas present, even belatedly.

San Jose Mercury News - How one crime novel became a film classic

50 Greatest Rock Soundtracks of All Time

.
From the folks at Conde Naste Media (they pub Vanity Fair and other snooty hooty shtuff):

The "Movies Rock" 50 Greatest Rock Soundtracks of All Time

Much to be discussed (and disgust, to be sure).




Cross-posted at Where The Vibe Is
.

Jefe's Top Flicks

My turn!

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
101. THE CAINE MUTINY (1954)
102. METROPOLIS (1927)
103. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959)

Joe's Additions:
104. Being There (1978)
105. Captain Blood (1935)
106. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

nat’s Additions:
107. Clerks (1994)
108. Toy Story (1995)
109. Young Frankenstein (1974)

O’Tim’s Additions:
110. Withnail And I (1987)
111. Little Big Man (1970)
112. JFK (1991)

Looney's Additions
113. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
114. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
115. O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000)

Jefe's Additions
116. Blade Runner (1982)
117. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
118. The Big Lebowski (1998)

Goes to show what a movie geek I am. There's only 10 on the top 100 I haven't seen, and only 1 (Captain Blood) on any of the additions I haven't seen. I'm most surprised by the fact that I haven't seen High Noon, because I own it! I bought the DVD about two years ago and haven't watched it yet. Guess it just moved to the top of my list.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Hark the herald, please to share the movie your holiday season would be incomplete without. For me it’s “Christmas Vacation”. Clark Griswold is the consummate family guy, full of holiday optimism on the quest for the perfect Christmas. I always tear up a little at the scene with Clark trapped in the attic, wrapped in a ladies turban and fur coat, watching old family movies.

And bonus, it was written by John Hughes.

Joy to the world!

Bogey Goes Batshit

It had been quite a while since I'd seen this. I think I was in my teens the last time, on late night TV. I had turned it on just as it started and surprised myself at watching enraptured all the way through. It was the first black & white movie I'd ever seen.

I remember being stunned that a moldy-oldy movie could be so good.

It finally came up in my Blockbuster queue and stunned me all over again.

For the few of you who don't know, it's about a couple down-on-their-luck Americans (Humphrey Bogart and Bob Curtin) stuck in Mexico who rent a spot in a flophouse and meet up with a grizzled old prospector (Walter Huston, director John Huston's father) who tells them about a gold deposit in the highlands.

This film really shows the range and true talent Bogey had. Early on he's the good guy, pitching in the extra funds needed to mount an expedition. But as the men slowly extract a fortune from the earth, greed and paranoia begin to set in. Bogey disintegrates from within and becomes his own disaster.

Seeing Bogart play Dobbs as a beggar at the beginning of the film (begging a few coins on several occasions from John Huston himself!) was jarring, after having seen him several times now in Casablanca, The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, among others. He doesn't just go through the motions. He makes you believe he hasn't a friend in the world.

And his psychological collapse is played with incredible passion. You plead with the poor guy to pull himself together, but all he can do is fall and fall hard.

The other two fellas are brilliant as well. Bob Curtin as the decent, honest fellow plays it with clever understatement. He's not a stereotype, though, because while he's a good guy, he's not afraid to resort to violence to deal with a situation.

In fact, that too is part of the brilliance of this flick, in that all involved are, to some extent or another, flawed. They don't always make the right choices, and their morality is more wild west and therefore a little less recognizable today. Yet nothing of it seems out of place.

Much of this film was shot on location, something that wasn't much done in those days, but it makes the film that much immersive and exciting.

Anyway, loved it all over again, and you, my dear buds, should give it a shot again, or for the first time, as the case may be.

MeMeMy Turn

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
101. THE CAINE MUTINY (1954)
102. METROPOLIS (1927)
103. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959)

Joe's Additions:
104. Being There (1978)
105. Captain Blood (1935)
106. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)


nat’s Additions:
107. Clerks (1994)
108. Toy Story (1995)
109. Young Frankenstein (1974)

O’Tim’s Additions:
110. Withnail And I (1987)
111. Little Big Man (1970)
112. JFK (1991)

Looney's Additions
113. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
114. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
115. O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000)

I'm a little shocked at what I haven't yet seen. Also a little amused at how many of those are stacked at the top of my Blockbuster queue. Amusingly, I have #37 in my travel bag (out of town for the night) right now.

There just isn't enough time in the day.

Dang I love these sorts of mememememeeees...

O' Tim's Top Flick Picks

.

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
101. THE CAINE MUTINY (1954)
102. METROPOLIS (1927)
103. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959)

Joe's Additions:
104. Being There (1978)
105. Captain Blood (1935)
106. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

nat’s Additions:
107. Clerks (1994)
108. Toy Story (1995)
109. Young Frankenstein (1974)

O’Tim’s Additions:
110. Withnail And I (1987)
111. Little Big Man (1970)
112. JFK (1991)

Not bad – 77 of the original 100 and all but one of the additions. Still, some of the “ain’t seens” have me, and I’m certain others who haunt this blog, saying, “I can’t believe I (you) haven’t seen that!” Like “Larry” and “Bull” (did that show in last spring’s Movie Madness?). The other thing on the ain’ts is that I haven’t heard of some – “The Best Years Of Our Lives” and “The Third Man” are two.

I’m with Joe on the completes – can’t see needing another attempt at “An American In Paris.” My aversion to musicals may explain why I’ve never attempted “Singin’ In The Rain” despite the rants of its classicness.

.

Top 100 Movies: The Meme, And I Ain't A Waitin' For A Tag!

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
101. THE CAINE MUTINY (1954)
102. METROPOLIS (1927)
103. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959)

Joe's Additions:
104. Being There (1978)
105. Captain Blood (1935)
106. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
My Additions:
107. Clerks (1994)
108. Toy Story (1995)
109. Young Frankenstein (1974)

Like Joe, I've only bolded the films I've seen in their entirety.

Top 100 Movies Meme.

This is a list of the "Top 100 Movies" (according to whom or by what standard, I don't know). The idea is to bold the ones you've seen, and add three more. I found it here, someplace. I've seen parts of some, but only bolded it if I saw the entire thing.


1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
101. THE CAINE MUTINY (1954)
102. METROPOLIS (1927)
103. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959)

And my additions:

104. Being There (1978) 105. Captain Blood (1935)
106. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Well, it seems that out of 106 films, I've seen all but 37. Not bad, although I am surprised to see some of the classics that I haven't seen all the way through. In some cases, there's a reason (don't expect me to see Platoon any time soon) but in others, it's just a matter of getting around to it. I'll have to adjust that Netflix queue.

Normally I won't tag folks but this time, what the hell, I'll tag O'Tim.

The Christmas Movie You Really Shouldn't Miss.

Back when we were still doing that "watch one movie per month and then discuss it" thing (remember the month when we did that?) I claimed December as my own. I don't expect people to watch it and discuss, though I'd be damned charmed if you did, but this is a film you really, really should see. I wrote about it a year ago, but I don't know if any of you watched it. Since I did such a damn fine job of writing about it before, I'll just repeat that post. Let me know what you think of this movie, should you do yourself the favor of watching it.

It’s pretty easy to fall into a movie rut at this time of year. Most of the classics become a bit trite after a couple dozen viewings. I mean, Miracle on 32nd Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, and A Christmas Story are all really great movies, but one can see enough of them. That is why, for the last few years, I’ve favored such holiday fare as The Bishop’s Wife, The Shop Around the Corner, and Die Hard (hey, there’s a Christmas tree RIGHT THERE!).

I have a new holiday favorite now, though.

Last night was the final session of the Hitchcock/Kubrick class I’ve been taking. We were scheduled to finish with Eyes Wide Shut, but since we won’t be meeting to discuss it (and because the professor was a little nervous about showing it in class) we decided to watch something else, and the professor felt very strongly about 2005’s Joyeux Noel. I am very happy with that decision.

Simply put, this was a magnificent film. I don’t want to spoil anything so I will be vague. The film takes place in the trenches during WWI. There are three groups in these trenches, the Germans, the French, and the Scots (it takes place before the U.S. joined in the fun). On Christmas Eve, the fighting has calmed and the soldiers can hear each other meagerly celebrating, and the film involves what happens as a result.

Since there are three nationalities involved, there are three languages, and much of the film is subtitled. I know that a lot of people think subtitles are annoying (and they can be) but I think that voices and lips that don’t match are worse. What struck me, though, is how different this film was from most Christmas fare. No cutesy Santa/Elf/Reindeer stuff. However, the war part of the movie is nothing like Platoon either. This is a film about real characters in a real situation, and how Christmas effects them all. Oh, and Paula- it has a kitty!

When it was finished, I knew I had just watched a genuine piece of art, a film that actually says something about people, Christmas, and war. If you’d like to see something truly meaningful and uplifting, watch this film.

I’ll bet you thank me after you do.

Field of Clover

Cloverfield

Call me a sucker. I want to see this movie. I want to see this movie so bad I'm willing to skip freakin' Christmas to have today be January 18. Sick, innit.

I dislike viral hype campaigns for the most part. Don't fake it, either show me an ad or don't, right?

Doesn't matter. This one's killing me. Either the campaign has been done right to get past my defenses or, more likely, my love of the big monster movies I grew up on has never truly faded away. Whatever the case, the guy who doesn't go to scary movies anymore is going to this one.

Don't call me on January 18. I'll be waiting in line.

Children of Men

Finally got to see this one on DVD.

Brilliant.

Not perfect, certainly. The novel is dense and a lot had to be left out, but it was masterfully done.

I have a thing about adaptations. I'm very forgiving if the net result is that the film evokes the same sort of awe and feeling that the novel did. To me this is what made The Lord of the Rings work so well. The same with Children of Men.

For those who haven't seen it, the film takes place in 2027, eighteen years after the last baby on earth was born. Sometime in 2009, pregnant women miscarried their children, then childbirth ended altogether. The world, of course, has become a cesspool. Britain has become an isolationist state, caging and deporting foreigners as illegals, "Fugees" (short for refugees.)

Clive Owen plays Theo, a 40-something bureaucrat who has pretty well lost all hope. The streets are filled with garbage. There is an oppressive police presence... in all, quite 1984-ish and quite well rendered. It is at once easy to identify with Theo and feel the hopelessness of the world. The terminal generation is here. We're all gonna die and be gone in the next 60 years or so.

Naturally, Theo is snatched from his insipid existence by an ex-lover who happens to lead a pro-foreigner group of subversives planning a future uprising. They need him to use his bureaucratic (and family) connections to secure traveling papers for a young woman in their care.

A pregnant young woman.

This film is filled with shocking and miraculous moments. The director, Alfonso Cuaron, uses long stretches of real time to ratchet up the suspense, inducing breathtaking anxiety for the viewer. This real-time effect makes it even easier to suspend disbelief and be part of this horror of a future.

Some of the sequences are horrifying. The sight of a dilapidated elementary school (no children anymore, remember?) is heartbreaking. Yet in between there are several simply miraculous sequences. The scene where Theo finally realizes exactly who the young woman is and why she's important is simply amazing.

Some of the violence and the scenes of war and uprising are pretty raw, but this is a must see, even for the squeamish.

A note on the DVD extras... much of them are very interesting. However, the one where you have all of these experts almost raging on capitalism and espousing a turn (or return, depending on where you live) to communism is ridiculous, myopic, scare-mongering. Some good points they had to make were lost in their extremist reactions to what they were discussing. Obviously some folks need to spend some time in China, or look into the old USSR. That worked out well.

Anyway, a stunning film. Go rent it if you haven't seen it yet.

Brazil

I was adding to our Netflix list and I put Brazil on there.

I've always heard how polarizing it is. I'm a Python fan but not necessarily a Gilliam fan. I'd say of the films of his I've seen, 12 Monkeys is my favorite -- mostly by default. I've been more bewildered than entertained by his other stuff (the exception being Holy Grail but it was a co-directed effort so I kind of put it in another category). For example, I made my dad take me to see Time Bandits (I was nine) and I remember the whole audience just sitting there dumbfounded at the end, myself included.

So have you seen Brazil and what do you think? Does it grow on you? Do I need to have a certain expectation or preparation in mind when I sit down to watch it or should I just be open to "whatever?"

And if you don't have much to add on Gilliam/Brazil, what directors or writers do you just not get the appeal of?

1408

WTF? Least scary movie ever. Even less scary than The Blair Witch Project, which before 1408 was the least scary movie ever, and almost as boring. My four-year-old child was scarier than 1408 on Halloween. She was dressed as Cinderella.

Johnny Cusack, what has happened to you?

Deborah Kerr 1921-2007

Farewell, Deborah. It was wonderful getting to know you. Say "Hello" to Burt and Yul, and please help Joey find his way. He's always been a little goofy, y'know.

Three for the Price of Several Hundred.

I’m not a great film reviewer, more of a watcher type who likes to sink into the story and later get asked, what did you like about it, and answer, I dunno, it was cool. No, they ask, what did you really think? What did you think of that X character, or Y plot device, or the scene editing around Z? And I say, I dunno, it was pretty cool, I guess.

But this time is different. I had the chance to see not one, not two, but three movies on a transatlantic flight a couple days ago, and now is my chance to offer deep and insightful reviews of some of the movies now playing on one of the world’s most popular airlines. So, let’s get started.

By the way, this wasn’t one of those frou-frou airplanes with little flatscreens embedded in the seatbacks where you could choose your own channel, oh no. This was the good old fashioned kind with actual CRTs hanging from the ceiling, CRTs so mature and proven that every one featured a slightly different hue and brightness, adding a texture and colorful richness to the viewing experience that kids these days just can’t appreciate.

Anyway, first up was some flick about a bunch of teenagers in school uniforms running around waving magic wands at each other. There were a lot of special effects and earnest faces and wind blowing, and fiery stuff, and scads of scowling old duffers dressed up like medieval magistrates and some biddy in a pink housecoat looking either smug or pissed off, she must have been part cat. I never put on the headphones so it looked pretty stupid, but if I remember right the author of the book got richer than the Queen, so it must be pretty good. On the down side, I’m sure a lot of kids with round framed glasses have had the shit kicked out of them in 8th grade because of it.

An hour or so after it ended they started another one and this time I remembered to put on my headphones. It was called Evan Almighty and I promised to give it at least five minutes to catch my interest. It starred an enormously talented funny man whose name I forget who was a total dork with regards to his family, but they were the perfect loving family anyways, three good kids and a gorgeous, even-tempered wife who all looked with loving wonderment and patience on their adorably confusing patriarch. This was so incredibly realistic I was moved both to tears (except the air in the plane was too dry for that) and to remove my headphones at five minutes exactly. I glanced up now and then at the rest of it, and it was apparent the producers had seen The Santa Clause and decided to mix that idea with some typically Hollywood misinterpretations of the important of Scripture, turning the Bible into a comic book made just for laughs, except God played God just like in the original (which was actually pretty funny in parts), and He has a way of looking like He knows what He’s talking about, even if you can’t hear Him (which wasn’t a problem of faith, remember, I had the headphones off).

Then came movie number three, by which time I was delirious with dry air, unnaturally extended daylight, and far too many Diet Cokes. It was a stylish caper film that looked a lot like Oceans Eleven except it was called Oceans Thirteen, and since I never saw Twelve I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to watch it. Between blinks I caught glimpses of some very stylish actors mugging stylishly as they repartee'd with great apparent wit and style, and saw a lot of flashing casino lights, and there was an earthquake, and Al Pacino running around in a panic, and cell phones and a roulette wheel, and George Clooney bought a house at Lake Como and distorted the real estate market, but that part was a dream because I was there last Saturday (BRAG) and this was Tuesday, and then someone used a helicopter to steal a bunch of diamonds, and my Coke was warm and I really had to pee.

Well, there you have it. PJ, you need to join our club, because I know you can aspire to review movies almost as well as I can. All you have to do is believe.

It's Official.

NowhereLand

I shoot tomorrow.

P.S. I discovered I'm only two degrees from Kevin Bacon, and it's not for NowhereLand. I was in West of Here with Mary Stuart Masterson, who was in Digging to China with Mr. Bacon himself. So ha!

Sniff

Break out the hankies.

Curious which unexpected movie moment brings you to tears without fail. Not the classically sad turn of events or empirically tragic twist, rather the scene or celluloid moment one wouldn’t expect to render you misty, but indeed gets to you evvvveeerrry time.

For me, it comes early in 1992's A League of Their Own where Shirley Baker cannot determine if she's made the female professional baseball league or is on the cut list since she can't read. Every time, and I'm talking real tears!

And you?

Wood Alert!

Right now, at 4:30PM EDT, Plan Nine From Outer Space is playing on TCM!

A Legend?

Photo grabbed from imdb.com

My morning paper contained a little blurb about Zsa Zsa Gabor and her recent surgery. The headline proclaims "Legendary Actress Recovering After Surgery." WHAT? When did she become legendary? She's the old-time version of Nicole Richie, for crying out loud. I checked imdb.com, and yes, she had a part in John Huston's Moulin Rouge, and a decent role in Lili, but most of her roles were in B movies or on TV, and in many of those TV appearances, she played herself. (Maybe they confused Gabor with Garbo, who really was legendary?!)

She really is more famous for being famous. Does that make her a legendary actress, or just an old, famous lady? And, oh, I hope she improves after this surgery. I don't wish her any ill will, after all.

NOTE: I posted this one on my own blog, too, but I felt it was open for discussion here with the rest of the film freaks!