AFI 50-26

49 Intolerance

1916

50 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

2001

After power packing the American Film Institute's Top 100 films of all time last month to get half way through the list, I took a little break. But now I'm back, and I'm back with the Top 50 Films of all time beginning with #50 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring directed by Peter Jackson. I've seen this movie in the theater, on DVD, on DVD+Bonus Footage, on Blu Ray and on cable. With all those viewings, I was only worried about one thing: staying awake. Not for any negative reasons, but for a while I watched it so often that I trained myself to fall asleep to it. So it came as no surprise to me that it took 2 attempts.

The film, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's book The Lord of the Rings, is all about the One Ring. A dark lord named Sauron created it to control all of middle-earth, but is defeated and the ring is lost. Over time the story and the ring are forgotten until it finds it's way into the hands of a hobbit named Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). In order to save the world from Sauron once and for all, Frodo must travel to the fires of Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring. With help from 8 companions, including other hobbits, elves, dwarves and men, he begins his quest. This is the first of three movies in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Although this is the only one of the Trilogy that made the list, watching it again confirmed that it was the one that most deserved the spot. This film is definitely my most favorite of the three films. And there are 3 simple reasons for this.

The first is that I love origin stories. I like to see how everything begins. How the characters start out before they are transformed due to time and obstacles. I love seeing Frodo as a carefree hobbit living in The Shire, meeting Stryder (Viggo Mortensen) when he is simply a mysterious ranger, and of course the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) with his fireworks. It all feels so innocent and exciting.

The second is that it has some of the best narration of any film. I have said before that there is no better narrator than Morgan Freeman. Well, the best female narrator would then have to be Cate Blanchett. The way she opens the film is so engaging. Like you're watching a real documentary. But it is in her voice that you know you're in a fantasy story. Absolutely perfect.

**Although I don't know a single person who hasn't seen this film, I don't want to spoil the ending. So names are kept out of this section.**

And the third is that it has one of the best death scenes of all time. Near the end of the film, one of Frodo's companions is seduced by the idea of the ring and tries to take it from him. After this terrible betrayal, he realizes his error and gives his life saving Frodo and other members of the Fellowship. Every time I watch this scene, it makes me cry. The story itself, the dialogue, the acting. It is so touching and a perfect way to end the first installment of the trilogy.

This film is fantasy. It is epic. It is stunningly beautiful. It deserved it's 4 Academy Award wins (and more). And it gave us one of the best lines of all time:

One ring to rule them all. One Ring to bind them. One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.

The next film on the American Film Institute list was #49 - Intolerance. Directed by D.W. Griffith, it is a silent film from 1916. If that doesn't have your attention already, I'll also let you know that it's running time is 3 hours and 17 minutes. I'm not going to lie. I watched the movie, but not all at once. It took days. Literally days of me sitting down, turning it on and watching a little before realizing that I'm going to fall asleep and I need to turn it off and try again another day. Even then, I don't really know how much of it I really "watched" because it was long, silent, boring, and did I say long?

The film has four different stories going on. There is the "modern story" that tells the story of how crime and moral puritanism affect everyday Americans. The second story is the "ancient story" that shows the fall of Babylon due to conflict about two rival Gods. The third is the "biblical story" about what caused Jesus' crucifixion. And the last story is the "french story" about the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. The stories are told concurrently, so there is often a placard that helps you to know what story you're watching, and there is also a cut scene of a woman rocking a child in a cradle to symbolize the passing of generations.

I did not like this movie. For many reasons. I know that some of it is the film quality - this film is the oldest on the list, so it isn't as clear as I would have liked. I didn't like that four different stories are going on at once and not one single character has an actual name. In addition to the confusion, they go back and forth between the four stories that span 2,500 years. I didn't like the soundtrack. I get that it is a silent movie, but the only sound I have is the background music that becomes monotonous at about hour 1. And it never really changes when the story is changing. Last but not least - I just didn't like how long it was. Over three hours is hard to do with films nowadays. But in 1916? No wonder it was originally a commercial failure.

But really, what I have decided my issue with it is that it isn't really a film and therefore shouldn't be included in this list. This film is really a piece of art. I love many different types of art and art forms. I also loath many great pieces of art, but can nonetheless respect them without personally liking them myself. I believe this film will have to sit in the latter category. This film stands as a great cinematic achievement and has been preserved in the National Film Registry. As it should be. It should be locked up and appreciated and never, ever watched again.

50-26

48 Rear Window

1954

The day finally came for me to watch my most favorite movie on the American Film Institute's Top 100 list: #48 - Rear Window starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly, and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. I'm happy to say that Yankee Doodle Dandy has been dethroned as my favorite movie that I've seen on this list yet (but I've still got 47 more, so we'll see if it holds onto that spot).

The film centers around L.B. Jefferies (Stewart) who is a professional photographer that broke his leg and is now confined to a wheelchair during his recovery. His apartment's rear window overlooks a courtyard full of all different kinds of neighbors, and he spends the hot summer days watching them. He begins to notice some peculiar behaviour by one of his neighbors after hearing a woman scream the night before, and starts to believe that something terrible has happened to her. He goes on to use binoculars, his zoom lense on his camera, his girlfriend Lisa (Kelly), his caretaker, and an old detective friend to find out what happened.

The movie is suspenseful, funny, sweet, and overall a great film. The story itself is so intriguing. You're watching a man indulge his voyeuristic tendencies, but you can't help to start to feel the same way about what he is seeing. You want to watch, you want to know. And because you get so completely drawn in, it makes everything that is happening that much more thrilling.

Hitchcock was in control of everything, and it was done beautifully. But he had help from some top notch talent. I absolutely love Jimmy Stewart, and this movie was one of the first that made me fall in love with him. He is an adventurous traveler who is unhappy with being stuck in an apartment (and makes it known constantly), and yet I can't help but love Jefferies and understand why the beautiful and always graceful Lisa does as well. And Grace Kelly - there was just no one like her. As Jeffries complains, she really is just TOO perfect. From head to toe. It made me wish that women still dressed like that, because her clothing was amazing.

If you love Hitchcock, this film is a must. I know that I still have two more of his films on this list, but I'm not sure they will be able to top this one. This film, I believe, should be lower on the list. And one reason for that is that they say a movie's "staying power" is a factor in how it is placed. It had been about 8 years since I had seen this movie, and it completely held up. It is also ranked #28 on IMDB. I do believe that should be reflected in the AFI Top 100.

Here is the best quote from the movie:

"Intelligence. Nothing has caused the human race so much trouble as intelligence."

47 A Streetcar Named Desire

1951

The #47 film on the American Film Institute Top 100 movies is A Streetcar Named Desire starring Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando and released in 1951. This was to be the first young Marlon Brando film for me (the earliest film of his I had seen before this was from 1972), and I have heard so much about his method acting that I was excited to see him in a role where I could actually understand him when he spoke. I was also already familiar with this American Classic written by Tennessee Williams, so this was a film I always knew I needed to watch, but just hadn't made the time for.

The film opens with Blanche DuBois (Leigh) arriving in New Orleans and trying to find her way into the French Quarter where she plans on meeting her sister Stella and her husband Stanley (Brando). Immediately she begins berating her sister about her manners and living situation, and expressing her disapproval of her "polack" husband. Stanley and Stella's relationship is abusive, and only adds fuel to Blanche's fire to interfere. But as Stanley's suspicion of Blanche's stories grows, it becomes clear that the reasons she came to visit and all her proper behavior and lifestyle may not exactly be truthful and only causes further conflict with everyone she is involved with.

It is interesting that the entire cast of the film was actually the original cast of the Broadway play (minus Vivien Leigh who was in the London production). I think this was very smart on the director's part because everyone was spot on in their portrayal. The acting was absolutely amazing. I think it probably even worked better that Leigh was the "outcast" on-set because that was an essential feeling that her character had. Everyone was so good and it really did feel authentic. I had only seen one other film with Vivian Leigh (Gone with the Wind) and it was not surprising to find out that this film was her second Academy Award.

Although Marlon Brando was nominated for the Oscar, he lost to Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen. Well I'm sorry, but the Academy got it wrong. Brando should have won. His screen presence was unbelievable. His character was a force to be reckoned with - and so was he. I've seen both films and this by far was a better performance. I was quite taken with Brando. Everyone knows he is a great actor, but this being his second film role, it was unbelievable how great he was. And did I mention how gorgeous? I have never thought so in the past - but I definitely do now.

I really enjoyed the movie. Solid story. Great acting. Wonderful music. I was a little disappointed that it was black and white only because they reference things being specific colors and you can't really tell that, but it wasn't so big that it took away from the film. One thing that I did love was finding out the reason for the title. At the beginning of the film, Blanche is told "Take a streetcar named Desire, transfer to one called Cemeteries, and ride six blocks and get off at Elysian Fields." With the overall theme and how everything turns out, it is a beautiful way to sum up the story of Blanche's life.

There are many memorable quotes from this film I immediately knew from pop culture references, (Brando's "Stella!" and "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.") but this was definitely my favorite quote:

"I never met a dame yet that didn't know if she was good-looking or not without being told, and there's some of them that give themselves credit for more than they've got."

46 It Happened One Night

1934

So a couple nights ago I watched the next film on my American Film Institute list: #46 - It Happened One Night starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. I had no idea what it was about, and wasn't that excited to watch it. But in the end, I''m really glad I did.

A spoiled heiress named Ellie Andrews (Colbert) has secretly wed a man named King Westley, whom her father greatly disapproves of. While she has been taken aboard her father's boat, he tells her he is going to get her marriage annulled. Upset, she jumps ship and and gets on a bus back to New York City to reunite with her new husband. Once on the bus, she meets a man named Peter Warne (Gable), a recently fired newspaper journalist. Recognizing her after her father offers a reward for her, he tells her that he will help her get back to New York if he can have the exclusive story, or he will turn her in for the reward. She reluctantly agrees to take his help. Their relationship develops along the way, and Ellie begins to fall for Peter. As in many films of this time period, unreasonable things happen and mis-communication abound before a happily ever after can be found.

Although I really liked the film, initially I was torn while watching. For the first hour or so of the movie, the feminist in me wanted to scream at Peter! He was so full of machismo, and incredibly chauvinistic and condescending. And what made it worse was that Ellie always just took it! I understand that this film was made in 1934 and interactions between men and women were quite different back then, but it was actually getting on my nerves until I realized that Ellie was so stupid! I'd be yelling at her if I was him! Then what made me and my "feminism" feel even more ridiculous, was that I began to understand why she was falling for him despite his behavior (or because of it?). Way to go on that front, Jessica.

The film is very light and ultimately quite enjoyable. I was surprised to learn that this was the first film to win the "Big 5" at the The Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay), but at the same time I am not. The performances were good enough to take a relatively lame plot and turn it into something really fun, but also it's impact on film has stood the test of time. While watching it almost 80 years later, I couldn't help but see films that have taken plot or scenes directly from this film (Spaceballs, Looney Tunes, Bandits, Forces of Nature). If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, this film definitely belongs on this list.

One thing that caught my eye specifically is the famous hitchhiking scene. Peter claims to be a master of hitchhiking, and has all these different versions that aren't doing him any good. Ellie asks to try, so when she sees a car coming she pulls her skirt up revealing her leg and immediately stops the oncoming car. It is such a cute scene and I also now know the movie that Carrie and Big are watching in Sex and the City 2.

My favorite quote from the film:

"You know, there's nothing I like better than to meet a high-class mama that can snap 'em back at ya. 'Cause the colder they are, the hotter they get. That's what I always say. Yes, sir, when a cold mama gets hot, boy, how she sizzles."

45 Shane

1953

Last night I watched another American Film Institute movie on my list: #45 - Shane, a 1953 Western directed by George Stevens and starring Alan Ladd and Jean Arthur. I had heard of all of these people, but could not put a face to a name. And considering Westerns are my least favorite types of films, it comes as no surprise that I had been putting this one off for more than a week.

Shane is a story about a wandering stranger who comes to a farm in rural Wyoming. After getting involved in a conflict between the farmer named Joe and a cattle baron named Rufus, Joe invites Shane to have dinner with his family. Soon after Shane becomes a farmhand and the little boy Joey clings to him and requests that he teach him how to become a gunslinger. Shane, clearly a skilled gunfighter, attempts to show the boy how to shoot but is stopped by his mother, Marian, who doesn't want her boy to grow up in a world full of guns. Soon after, the tension between the homesteaders and cattle ranchers mount and Shane puts himself in the position of trying to keep peace and all those he cares for safe.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Western just isn't my genre. I either need something exciting happening, a dynamic character, or a twist to make it more interesting for me. This movie didn't really have any of those things. Oh, there is a brawl in the bar? You're fighting about land rights? We're going to be doing a little square dancing? Sounds like every western movie ever made.

What really drove me crazy the most about this movie was little Joey. Afterwards I read reviews about how the boy's excitement and naivety is what centered the story, and the actor who played him (Brandon deWilde) was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. I understand what they are saying about the boy's importance in the storyline. But after hearing him whine "Shane?" all movie long I had about had it with him.

The only redeeming thing for me in this film is the cinematography. When you've got those big blue skies, beautiful mountain ranges in the distance, and good light - there really is no wrong there.

44 The Philadelphia Story

1940

A few days ago, I watched my next American Film Institute movie on the Top 100 list: #44 - The Philadelphia Story starring Carey Grant, Jimmy Stewart and Katherine Hepburn. With a billing like that, I was anticipating a fun movie (even with Ms Hepburn who I'm not a huge fan of). What I got was pretty much what I expected.

Socialite Tracy Lord (Hepburn) had recently divorced C.K. Dexter Haven (Grant), and is now getting ready to remarry a newly wealthy business man named George Kittredge. Considering her status, the wedding is big news and the local paper wants to cover the event. The paper uses blackmail information about Tracy's father to convince Dexter to smuggle in a reporter named Macaulay Connor (Stewart). Although Tracy finds out about this, she accepts him and a photographer into her home for the wedding to protect her family's reputation. As the wedding draws nearer, Tracy finds herself in an odd situation with her soon-to-be husband, her ex-husband (who is beloved by her mother and sister) and the very flattering and sensitive reporter. Will she follow through with her wedding, get back together with her ex, or accept this new gentleman into her life?

I am a huge fan of Jimmy Stewart. And this is yet another movie of his that I really enjoyed. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role, and I wasn't surprised by this at all (although he was because that year he himself voted for someone else). His character needed to be sensitive and likable, quirky and a little naive. He is one actor who can so easily pull all those traits off. It was really fun to watch.

As I've stated in some of my previous reviews, I do not really like Katherine Hepburn. Mostly it is just the way she talks - it drives me crazy. However, she didn't bother me too much in this film. Her snobby better-than-thou disposition completely worked in the role of a privileged socialite. Not too far from her real life, so it makes sense she was nominated for an Academy Award as well. It also helped that she looked great in this movie and the clothing was wonderful.

This is a really fun romantic comedy with some top notch talent. It is a great film, and I think it is placed just about right in the Top 100 list. I would gladly watch this film again. I am also going to have to watch the remake, a musical, called High Society starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelley and Frank Sinatra.

My favorite quote from the film:

"Awww... this is one of those days that the pages of history teach us are best spent lying in bed."

I've been meaning to try to keep up with my American Film Institute list during the holiday season, and with so many specials and movies coming out I decided I better get some of these watched while I can. So last night I watched #43 - Midnight Cowboy starring John Voight and Dustin Hoffman. I had seen many clips of this film, but without context they made no sense. I definitely needed to see what all the hype was about.

Joe Buck (Voight) is a young man from Texas who decides that he wants to travel to New Your City to become a male prostitute (a stud as he calls himself). With a new cowboy wardrobe and a portable radio, he takes a bus to the big city thinking he is everything ever city woman could want. He finds, however, that it is not as easy as he expected and ends up having the tables turned on him and paying women instead of being paid. He soon meets Rizzo (Hoffman), a crippled con man who tricks him (and gets money from him) into a very bizarre encounter with a religious fanatic. Soon he finds himself alone, broke, and locked out of his hotel with all of his belongings impounded. He again meets Rizzo, who apologizes for the con, and lets him stay in the condemned building where he lives. They hatch plans to set him up with women, and as Rizzo's health gets worse, Joe's hopes for a prosperous future dwindle.

The premise of the movie was very strange. The whole idea seemed odd even at the beginning of the film, and throughout the film I found some of the scenes to be completely unnecessary or graphic for shock value rather than storyline. It is commendable that they would be so daring in 1969, and apparently critics agreed. This film was rated X when it was released and currently stands as the only X-rated film that ever won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

I already knew that I loved Dustin Hoffman. He is an extremely talented actor, and I was really impressed with his performance. The entire film his character is getting more and more sick, and he showed this so well. The sweaty and dirtiness of his face, his limp when he walked, his coughing fits. It was all really spectacular.

John Voight was a big surprise for me. I mostly know him as an older actor, and at the beginning of the movie he was hardly recognizable. He was SO young looking! I enjoyed him in this film and loved his cowboy persona - especially the constant gum chewing.

My favorite thing about the film was the music. The song that opens and closes the film was really wonderful. It worked perfectly with the mood of the film, the lyrics seemed to speak directly to Joe Buck's character, and although it had a country feel, it didn't seem out of place in the New York City setting.

Although I was sold on the acting, the story makes it a difficult one to say that I will watch it again. I agree that it is a great American film because it shows a different part of the population at a time when there were much bigger things happening. It deserves to be on this list, but I think maybe in the 60s or 70s, not the low 40s.

My favorite quote from the film:

"I only get carsick on boats." - Joe Buck

43 Midnight Cowboy

1969

42 Bonnie and Clyde

1967

I was finally able to get back to my list! Last night I continued working on my American Film Institute Top 100 Films with #42 - Bonnie & Clyde, the 1967 version starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. Having just recently watched the TV movie Bonnie and Clyde: Dead and Alive, I was excited to see the earlier version of this incredible real life American crime story.

The movie begins with how Bonnie Parker (Dunaway) met Clyde Barrow (Beatty) while he was trying to steal her mother's car. Bored with her life as a waitress, she decides to join Clyde to make a new life that will make them rich. They start out small with simple hold ups, but once they join up with a mechanic who can help them steal cars they really start making a name for themselves. Soon they bring along Clyde's brother Buck (Gene Hackman) and his wife Blanche (Estelle Parsons) and begin not only robbing banks, but also resorting to violence and murder. At this point, you know it is not going to end well for these two young criminals.

I really liked seeing Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker. I was impressed with how good she looked and little things she did, such as her accent and what I call her "Shut up, Bitch!" looks - often aimed at Blanche. However, I may simply like that because I absolutely could not stand that character. I found her irritating throughout and could not believe that she is the only actor in this film that won an Oscar. I thought it might be because I know Estelle Parsons as Roseanne's mother, but then I read that when this film was released the real Blanche Barrow said this of the performance: "That film made me look like a screaming horse's ass!" Yes, yes it did.

As much as I like Warren Beatty, I gotta say I was a lot more interested and intrigued with the way Emile Hirsch played the character. I think intrigue and attraction is a vital element because you need to believe that Bonnie Parker would run off with him. And this film didn't really give me that feeling. The other possible reason was the whole impotence and/or homosexuality issue going on in this film. It made it even more unbelievable that this girl would just join up with a great looking charismatic man on this crime spree and everything would be platonic. The TV movie played it very differently, so I was underwhelmed by that aspect.

This film is considered a landmark due to the themes they explored within the genre and the use of violence and glorification of murder. While I was surprised with how graphic (for the time) some of the scenes were, especially that final shoot-out, I feel that once again I'm jaded from the level of violence I see on a regular basis. I've seen more violence glorification on prime-time television. That being said, the overall look and feel of the film - including the violent scenes - felt both poetic and harsh at the same time. I couldn't help but love the times when they were just riding around in their stolen cars and ignoring the hard facts of their inevitable demise. Maybe that is what has kept this film, and story, alive for so many years.

My favorite quote from the film:

“It's the face powder that get's a man interested, but it's the baking powder that keeps him home.” - Buck Barrow

41 King Kong

1933

After a brief hiatus for Oscar season, I'm back on my American Film Institute Top 100 list with #41 - King Kong. This is the original 1933 version staring Fay Wray and the first appearance of the now famous colossal gorilla. Having only seen the 2005 Peter Jackson version, I was not even remotely interested in watching this film and of the 100 films on this list, it was the one I was dreading the most. To be honest, it was the reason the hiatus lasted as long as it did.

Carl Denham (Robert Armstong) is a film maker who is known for making pictures involving animals in remote and exotic locations and is ready to film another movie. He decides he needs a female for his newest "Beauty and the Beast" film and happens upon a poor and starving Ann Darrow (Wray) and convinces her to join him on his chartered ship to a remote island. Once they arrive at the island, covered in a dense fog, they notice the locals in some type of ritual near the entrance of a great wall. The landing party, including Ann, decide to go ashore but are soon discovered by the native chief and the ritual is haulted. Although they are able to get back to the boat safely, the natives capture Ann and decide that she should be offered up as a sacrifice to the great Kong. Soon the entire crew follows after her in an attempt to save her life, all while Denham is still seeking his opportunity to capitalize on this "Eighth Wonder of the World."

This movie is considered one of the most iconic films of all time, and I wouldn't disagree with this. With it now over 80 years old, this story is still known to every generation. There have been multiple remakes, and the monster movie concept and animation were the seeds of many films that were to come. I must acknowledge the importance of the film and how it changed film making forever.

That being said, there are some difficulties in watching this film so many years later. For one, we are so spoiled with the animation that we now enjoy. King Kong and the other beasts were difficult to watch and believe at all. The movements were not far from a really bad episode of Robot Chicken. The facial features and expressions were so exaggerated that it was comical. I wanted to somehow connect to Kong, but found myself feeling truly like it was more of a doll than a monster.

Although the flaws were many with the animation and special effects, the acting was actually pretty good. I now understood much more why Jack Black was cast as Carl Denham in the 2005 King Kong. His character is such an ego driven entrepreneur, it would make sense that he could pull off that character. However, that was not the case because it was done in a much more elegant way in this film than in that version.

As far as leading ladies go, Fay Wray is way up there. I didn't have to see this film to know her name, her golden hair (despite being black and white) and her scream. With all the expectations I had about her, I was not disappointed by her performance. She was endearing, beautiful and so perfectly delicate to be the object of a monster's affections. I found myself literally miming along with her when she was "acting" in preparation for the film. That doesn't happen very often.

My two favorite things about the film were the music and the film length. First, the music was really excellent and the entire time on the island was just awesome (even watching plastic dinosaurs and the Lock Ness monster chew on mannequins). The second thing really was the length. That sounds terrible to say, but at 100 minutes it was just right for the story and didn't drag on into senselessness. I was worried it was going to when they were on the island so long, but was happy to see that they wrapped it up in a timely matter.

All in all, I'm surprised at how not bored I was while watching this. It made me understand a whole lot more why people went bananas in 1933 - it truly is more than just a landmark film, it is just a well done film in general. In reality, I'd rather watch this version than the one with better effects (and the excruciating hour longer length). It is clear that when it is right and truly timeless, you can look past the problems and appreciate what is really happening.

My favorite quote from the film:

Theater Patron: "I hear it's some sort of gorilla."

Theater Patron: "Gee...ain't we got enough of them in New York?"

40 The Sound of Music

1965

39 Dr Strangelove

1964

After the surprising delight of my last American Film Institute film, I was eager to get to the film that I had been excited about ever since I got into the last half of the list. I’m of course talking about one of the greatest musicals of all time: #40 – The Sound Of Music. This powerhouse classic stars the always enchanting Julie Andrewsand features the music of Rogers and Hammerstein. This almost 3 hour film is filled with some of the greatest songs in the history of cinema, and I couldn’t wait to hear them again.

Maria (Andrews) is a young postulate at a Catholic Abbey in Austria who is constantly getting into trouble. After receiving word that a widowed Austrian Naval Captain is in need of a Governess for his 7 children, Mother Abbess decides to send Maria for the task. Upon arriving at the Von Trapp family home, she is met with some hostility by the children and appalled at Captain Georg’s (Christopher Plummer) strict rules, whistle calls and dress code. Maria quickly turns thing around while Captain Georg is on an extended visit to Vienna, and he returns only to find his children laughing and playing much to his chagrin. However once he hears the children singing, he realizes that joy had been missing from his home. The epic film continues to follow Maria and the Von Trapp family as they grow closer all while Nazism begins to creep into Austria and into their lives.

There is so much to say about this film, so I will just highlight my favorite things. The first thing I have to say is that it absolutely has one of the most amazing opening scenes of all time. There you are, on top of a mountain in Austria with some of the most beautiful scenery ever filmed, and Julie Andrews starts belting out, “The Sound of Music.” It gives me chills every time and sets the mood for the entire film – it is going to be grand, it is going to be beautiful, and I am going to love every minute of it.

As far as the music and songs are concerned, the opening is just the beginning of the journey you are about to take. This film is loaded with incredible and infectious songs such as “Do-Re-Mi,” “Edelweiss,” “My Favorite Things” and “So Long, Farewell.” Not only are these songs all now considered classic show tunes, but you can hear pieces of them in many other show tunes since due to the sheer perfection. The songs and music only further confirms my love of Rogers & Hammerstein, who are responsible for the music of another favorite musical of mine, The King and I.

One thing I had forgotten about was how much I love the dancing! It all feels so magical when Maria and Gorge are dancing the traditional Landler, I love the children’s cuckoo clock dance movements during ‘So Long, Farewell” and then there is my most favorite dance sequence during “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” between Liesel and Rolfe. The way they chose to shelter them from the rain and have them use the seats in the gazebo as part of the routine – it is masterfully done.

I actually don’t have a bad thing to say about this film. It is listed at #40 on this list of 100, when I feel it should be in the Top 20. I also don’t understand the inconceivable snub of Julie Andrews not winning the Academy Award for her performance. When it comes to Julie Andrews, this is actually not my favorite performance of hers. I prefer her as Mary Poppins. That said, I was in awe that she did not win. It blows my mind because even with Mary Poppins firmly in my mind, Julie Andrews is absolutely Maria in this movie and I completely see how easy it was for the entire Von Trapp family to fall in love with her. In fact, one of my favorite lyrics in the song “Maria” sums her, and this movie, up perfectly:

“How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?”

I made it to the 30s on my American Film Institute Top 100 list last night with #39 - Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, this was number 3 of the 4 of his movies on this list, and so far my favorite.

General Jack Ripper (Sterling Hayden) of the US Air Force advises his Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers) to issue Wing Attack Plan R to the patrolling aircraft that are just hours from the Soviet border and equipped with nuclear bombs. After issuing the orders, Captain Mandrake finds out that no orders were ever issued and confronts the General to stop the attack. He finds out that communication is cut off and General Ripper locks them both in his office and proceeds to tell him how the soviets are polluting the "precious bodily fluids" of Americans with fluoride in the water. Now knowing that General Ripper has gone a little insane, Captain Mandrake tries to find a way to alert the Pentagon of the error and the code that will stop the attack.

Meanwhile, back at the Pentagon, the President (again Peter Sellers) and his top officers meet in the War Room to discuss the situation and learn of a doomsday device that if triggered (by a nuclear bomb) will cause the entire planet to become uninhabitable. The President asks his former Nazi scientist Dr Strangelove (one more Peter Sellers performance) if this device is possible in which he agrees and suggests that if the device is triggered they should go into deep mine-shafts and institute a breeding program to repopulate the earth.

I had watched this film during a film class in college, and thoroughly enjoyed it more this time after much analysis and having watched another film that dealt with the same issue, only more seriously (Fail-Safe). While the premise of the film is no longer as relevant as it was in 1964, it is still entertaining and a great satire on the entire nuclear scare. Kubrick did a wonderful job at pushing everyone's paranoia to extremes to cause the entire situation to be so absurd that it is funny. All the scenes involving General Ripper were definitely my favorite.

One thing that I really enjoy about this film is how there is a major nuclear situation going on, and yet everyone is very composed unless something silly causes them to get upset (such as the Soviet diplomat sneaking in a camera to take pictures of the War Room, The President getting upset that the Soviet Premier won't accept that he is sorry or Captain Mandrake trying to place a phone call and being unable to get any dimes). I find this extremely relevant to situations that happen today when major military situations are going on in the world and people are upset about silly things in comparison.

I was also impressed with Peter Sellers as a whole. Having three very different parts in the film, he did an excellent job as each character. The first time I saw this, I didn't realize it was the same person playing all three of the parts (although hair and makeup help).

Making a satire requires a very delicate hand and things to be just right - Stanley Kubrick completed that task flawlessly with this film. This is also why it is only one of three of his films I truly love.

My favorite quote from the film:

"Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings.

Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff." - Major T.J. 'King' Kong

The next movie on my American Film Institute list was #38 - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre starring Humprey Bogart, Tim Holt and Walter Huston. The only thing I knew about this film prior to watching was this is the film that Mel Brooks got the whole "We don't need no stinkin' badges!" thing from. With my general attitude about westerns, I wasn't too excited to watch this film.

Fred Dobbs (Bogart) is a poor American living in the Mexican town of Tampica. He is constantly having to beg for money just to eat until he finds a man who is looking to hire American men for some work. After being told he would get paid at the end of the job, he finds out he and the rest of the men had been cheated out of their wages. While staying in a cheap hostel, he learns all about gold prospecting nearby by an old man who is looking to find some people to go with him. He teams up with Bob Curtin (Holt) to find the guy that hired them to get their money back, and soon the three men are off to find gold. Between the difficult journey, fear of bandits and the overwhelming paranoia that sets in when they eventually do find gold, Dobbs begins to unravel and the plan for ever getting out of Mexico with their riches grows more and more bleak.

As I've stated before, I'm not really big on the entire Western genre. Couple that with the fact that Bogey tends to be a little hit and miss for me and it was looking like this movie was going to be a bit of a dud. The movie starts out a little slow, is black and white, and doesn't seem all that appealing. Well that was the case until about 30 minutes into the film. I couldn't believe how engrossing the entire story was! Although it may be an adventure film set around gold prospecting, it is so much more than that.

The Fred Dobbs character is what really keeps this whole thing going - seeing him deteriorate due to the mixture of fear and greed that the entire situation creates is absolutely amazing to watch. This is now my most favorite Humphrey Bogart performance I have ever seen. He has hands down one of the best evil laughs I have ever heard.

This movie has the special distinction of being the first film that had a father-son win. Director/Writer John Huston won both awards while his father Walter won Best Supporting Actor. While the film was also nominated for Best Picture as well, it doesn't seem right that there was no Best Actor nomination.

While I was surprised at my admiration for this film, I was not surprised to find out how many directors I respect that love this film. Stanley Kubrick, Sam Raimi andBreaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan have all said specifically about it being a personal favorite. Even more awesome is that when Paul Thomas Anderson was writingThere Will Be Blood he would watch this at night before going to bed.

I see what you did there, Paul. No wonder your movie was awesome. I get it now.

Favorite Quote:

"Conscience. What a thing. If you believe you've got a conscience, it'll pester you to death. But if you don't believe you've got one, what can it do to ya? Makes me sick all this talking and fussing about nonsense." - Fred Dobbs

38 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

1948

37 The Best Years of Our Lives

1946

The next film I watched on my American Film Institute Top 100 was #37 - The Best Years of Our Lives. I didn't know anything about this 1946 film and I didn't recognize a single name on the billing. I was optimistic because now that I"m in the lower 50 of the list, I haven't had a dud yet.

Fred, Homer and Al are all returning from WWII to Boone City. Each man had a different role in the war and a different life back at home, and now they find themselves trying to readjust to civilian life. Fred, who is now a decorated Army Air Forces Captain, returns to find himself stuck in his previous profession of being a soda jerk at the local drug store and married to a woman he met during flight school and knew for only a month before shipping off. Homer, who became engaged to his sweetheart Wilma before leaving for the war, returns with only hooks for hands after suffering an accident aboard his aircraft carrier. Al, who had a comfortable life with his family and a job at the bank, returns to find his adult daughter Peggy now working, and a promotion waiting for him at the bank. The film follows the story of each man and how their war experience changed everything in their professional and romantic lives.

While the movie started off slow and for the first 20-30 minutes I was a little bored, that all slowly changed and by the end I was laughing, crying and clapping. This film is completely about character development, and boy does it deliver. At first I just see the three men as these war veterans who tell each other stories about their experiences, and will just continue to pursue their lives the way they had been before they left. However, as each one realizes the pitfalls that come from them being gone or affected by the war, I became more and more engaged with how they were really going to be able to continue. It really struck a chord because the movie felt completely genuine and honest - the story didn't feel forced in any one direction, the dialogue felt completely natural, and I think it helped that I didn't know a single actor because I could identify them ONLY as the person they were portraying.

There is a scene where Homer, the one who lost his hands, removes his hook prosthesis. Knowing this was filmed in 1946, I was curious how they were able to make it look so believable. Come to found out that the man who played Homer - Harold Russell - was an actual real life veteran who had lost both his hands and was tapped specifically for this role. Knowing he was not only actually disabled but also not an actor made his Best Supporting Actor win that much more impressive.

It is really hard to explain what this film is about without giving everything away. I'm cautious to say anything more because how everything unfolds is so real and wonderful, that you just need to experience it for yourself. Not only does this film deserve to be on this list, but I might actually put it even lower on the list.

My favorite quote from the film:

"How many times have I told you I hated you and believed it in my heart? How many times have you said you were sick and tired of me; that we were all washed up? How many times have we had to fall in love all over again?" - Milly, Al's wife

36 The Bridge on the River Kwai

1957

I watched my #36 film on the American Film Institute's Top 100 last night -Bridge on the River Kwai starring William Holden and Sir Alec Guiness. I had seen this movie on many critics Top Film lists, and word of mouth was positive as well so I had some expectations going into the film.

It's World War II, and British POWs arrive at a Japanese prison camp. The man in charge, Colonel Saito, informs everyone that they will now have to help to build a railroad bridge for the Japanese military that will go across the river Kwai. Lt Nicholson (Guiness) reminds Saito that according to the Geneva Convention, officers cannot be made to do manual labor. After some time of arguing and torture, they eventually settle the dispute and Guiness decides that although the officers will not work with the rest of the men, they will do their best to improve and speed up construction of the bridge. Meanwhile, Commander Shears (Holden), who was a captive in the infirmary, escapes the camp and is able to get help in a nearby village and later at a British hospital. While attempting to head back to the USA, the British Army realizes the benefit of using Holden to make their way back to where the bridge is being constructed so that they may destroy it. What proceeds is an unfortunate break down in communication and both sides suffering casualties.

This was another one that started out a little on the slow side, and was extremely dialogue heavy for it being a war film. After multiple WWII movies on this list, I've come to terms with the fact that WWII films can run the gamut from nothing but action sequences to dead silence. While a little chatty, the pacing once it got going was pretty great. It is placed I think appropriately at #36 on the list, but there are few I would say are better that were ranked higher.

I was happy to see this 1957 film was color, and I have to say that when I watch these old color films, I absolutely love the way they look. The saturation levels add a definite charm that you don't really get anymore and I think it is a compelling reason to question the use of digital over film in the future. That may have been accentuated by the fact that it was shot on location in Sri Lanka - no sound-stage compares to a real setting.

I didn't realize until about halfway into the film that it was Sir Alec Guiness in the main role. I have a strong love/hate with him (love for him being Obi-Wan in Star Wars, hate for him bashing it later in his life) so I was unsure how I would feel about him in another film. He was quite good, and I enjoyed his character more than any other in the entire film, which was a surprise. I'm starting to understand a little more why he was knighted.

My favorite quote:

"Do not speak to me of rules. This is war! This is not a game of cricket!" - Colonel Saito

35 Annie Hall

1977

This weekend I was able to knock another American Film Institute Top 100 movie off the list with #35 - Annie Hall starring Diane Keaton and starring/written/directed by Woody Allen. I had seen this movie in my teens and remembered liking it only in comparison to other Woody Allen movies that I did not like. I was anxious to watch it again without that idea in my head.

Alvy Singer (Allen) is a neurotic, New York comedian that is trying to figure out why his recent relationship with Annie (Keaton) ended. We jump back to a moment in their relationship where they had been together for some time when it was not all pleasant and we see the divide between the two that has developed over some time.We then travel further back in Alvy's past to the problems that happened with his first two marriages and him trying to understand the differences between those first two relationships and the one with Annie. As we see poignant times in their relationships, as well as in Alvy's own life with his family, we begin to try to understand what Alvy is searching for and how he is going to be able to answer the questions that surround his love life and Annie's place in it.

While it is hard to say exactly what this film is about without telling the entire story, I can simply say that this is the film that most epitomizes what it means when saying something is very "Woody Allen." The fact that he breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the audience, the fact that he talks in circles and continually asks questions no one could really answer (nor does he really want anyone to answer), his combination of narcicism and self-loathing - it is all just so...him.

I absolutely loved so many things about this film, and it is funny to watch this as an adult now because I not only understand it so much better, but I also have now seen so many films that were clearly influenced by the content, the style, the clothing, the narration, and even the location. Sex and the City,How I Met Your Mother, 500 Days of Summer, When Harry Met Sally... were all right in my mind as I watched and I realized this was the New York that I was supposed to know before I saw any of the others.

When I watched as a teenager, the thing I noticed most and remembered was Annie's wardrobe. I thought she just looked so cool, so intellectual, so interesting. Now, over 10 years later, I still had those same feelings seeing Diane Keaton with that famous vest and tie, those billowy pants and over sized hat. It may have been 1977, but it is truly a timeless look.

The film won 4 Academy Awards, and each one was justly deserved. I know that many people are not happy with this film simply because it beat out Star Wars (even the film's own producers), but when it comes to creating a true cinematic treasure, the right film won - and I'm an enormous Star Wars fan.

Favorite Quote:

"What's with all these awards? They're always giving out awards. Best Fascist Dictator: Adolf Hitler" - Alvy Singer

34 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

1937

There were only two animated films on the American Film Institute Top 100 list, and last night I finally watched the second one - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This 1937 picture was Disney's first full length animation, and one that I hadn't seen in close to 20 years.

The film opens with a storybook, and we find out that the princess Snow White lives with her vanity-obsessed step-mother the Queen where she has been forced to wear rags and act as a maid. The Queen possesses a magic mirror that tells her she is the most beautiful woman each day, but suddenly the mirror reveals to the queen that Snow White has become the fairest in the land. Angered by this, the Queen asks a huntsman to follow Snow into the woods and kill her, bringing her heart back as proof. The huntsman, unable to kill her, scares Snow off and she is then greeted by woodland creatures who bring her to the home of the seven dwarfs. She quickly befriends them and offers to cook and clean while they mine for jewels. This leaves Snow White alone in the cottage during the day, and the wicked Queen is sure to find out about this.

While it had been a very long time since I had seen the film, I was still singing, "I'm Wishing" for days before I even watched it (that is my favorite song from the film). I was so focused on that first song, I forgot about all the others in this film that have become so much a part of pop culture - "Whistle While You Work", "Heigh-Ho", and "Some Day My Prince Will Come" are truly the songs that started it all, and made all of us fall in love with the music of Disney.

The animation was very dated and it was weird to watch a 77 year old animated film - I felt very spoiled by animation today. There isn't nearly as much expression on the characters faces, and it sometimes feels a little flat. However, I will say this - that old style does some things just right. The woodland creatures were SO adorable, and I so easily felt the squirrels, bunnies, birds and deer had personalities (it helped when they joined in the songs). The backgrounds were beautiful, and I didn't need anyone to interact with it to appreciate the fine art quality of the clouds and sunsets. The simple techniques used to make things look appealing, such as the sparkles on the jewels in the mine and the sheen of the poison apple, were so impressive. No wonder I clearly remembered how those jewels looked. In those moments, it really does feel absolutely timeless.

Everyone knows the story, it has been redone so many times, and yet for a little over an hour I was happy to retreat into this fairy tale and hear the sweetness of Snow, the humor of the Dwarfs (Bashful is by far the greatest of them all), and even watch the Queen transform herself into the old hag. There is a reason this is THE classic Disney film, and I now agree with it's inclusion on this list as well as being this far down.

One quick note: I'm not sure if anyone else had it wrong other than me, but I always thought the famous saying was, "Mirror, Mirror on the wall. Who is the fairest of them all?" Turns out, that is not the case. It is actually, "Magic Mirror on the wall. Who is the fairest one of all?"

Favorite Quote:

Grumpy: "Angel, ha! She's a female! And all females is poison! They're full of wicked wiles!"

Bashful: "What are wicked wiles?"

Grumpy: "I don't know, but I'm against 'em."

33 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

1975

Since I happened to be cat sitting for someone with an awesome TV, I decided to watch my next American Film Institute movie: #33 - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest starring Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher and Will Sampson. This was, again, one I had seen as a teen, so I was anxious to watch it as an adult to see if I would appreciate it even more.

Randle "Mac" McMurphy (Nicholson) is a criminal serving a short prison sentence that is transferred to a mental hospital for evaluation. Being asked why he is there by the admitting doctor, he tells him he doesn't think he has anything wrong with him and implies that he was faking it to get out of doing any labor. The doctor, while agreeing with him, tells him that they will observe him just the same. He then meets the other men on his floor, all with varying degrees of mental health issues, and Nurse Ratched (Fletcher) who is in charge of everyone. She leads the groups in bizarre, humiliating conversations and along a very tight schedule which doesn't suit the independent, excitable and loud-mouthed Mac. He quickly becomes the leader, and convinces the men to follow along in his activities, gambling and attempts at escape. This causes problems leading to electroshock therapy for some of the men as well as Mac finding out that he could stay there far longer than the time he would have spent in prison. The only way Mac sees a way out of this is to bust out...but not on his own.

I really dug this movie, even more than the last time. Part of it is because of the very adult themes that I don't think I could have comprehended as much when I was young, but also because I've had this nightmare. Being older, I've seen how a situation can quickly go from kinda bad to worse to did that really happen. This movie is a perfect example of that, and it really does freak me out a little bit.

Another thing I was more impressed with this time was the supporting cast -Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Brad Dourif, and Vincent Schiavelli were all so good as the other patients, especially seeing them all in roles that are so different than what I normally consider them famous for. I also liked seeingScatman Crothers with Jack outside of The Shining.

This film was only the second one to win the "Big Five" at the Academy Awards, and it is easy to see why. The material was original and interesting, the dialogue was entertaining, the acting was in some cases as good as you can get, and the whole thing was shot and edited together so well there isn't a lull in the entire 2 hours.

While this is the 2nd of Jack's 3 films on this list, it did deliver some of my favorite moments by him, including this quote:

"Is that crazy enough for ya'? Want me to take a shit on the floor?" - Mac

32 The Godfather Part II

1974

Last week I decided to watch one of my most favorite films on the American Film Institute's Top 100 list: #32 - The Godfather Part II. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that the movie is over 3 hours long, and a good chunk of that was in Italian. In order to avoid sleeping through it, I got to the intermission and then stopped and waited until last night to finish it.

The film acts as both a prequel and a sequel to The Godfather. The prequel portion, starring Robert De Niro as a young Vito Corleone, follows his escape from Sicily to New York City as a young boy and then his founding of the Corleone family and eventual rise to Don as well as the birth of his sons Sonny, Fredo and Michael.

The sequel reintroduces us to the youngest of the Corleone sons, Michael (Al Pacino), who is now the Don and the most powerful mafia boss in the United States. While he is determined to legitimize the family business with casinos and other ventures, he still ends up with an assassination attempt that sets him on a path of revenge and violence that breaks his family apart.

I love this movie so much for a few very simple reasons. The first being the way they decided to show two stories at once. The difficulty that Vito has in starting the Corleone empire vs Michael trying to hang onto it. I love the parallels between the father and son. Brilliant adaptation, and both extremely well written story lines.

The second reason is the cast. Not only were the two main actors superb, but the cast included Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, and the extremely impressive John Cazale. While he only made 5 films before his untimely death (plus archived footage of him used in Godfather 3), all 6 films were nominated for the Best Picture award. He is the only actor to have that unique designation.

Of course I have to talk about the two main actors, because they are just too damn good. De Niro was amazing specifically with how well he did with the voice (to keep the continuity with Marlon Brando's version of Vito) and speaking Italian the majority of the time. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and I'm not surprised. However, he isn't my favorite part of this movie. For me, this movie is the Al Pacino that I love the most. I don't even know exactly what it is - whether it is Pacino or the character of Michael that I am able to connect with - but he is truly the best part of this film and he is my most favorite character in the entire Godfather trilogy. I think it was a travesty that he did not win the Best Actor Academy Award for this performance.

While I still believe this film is superior to the original, we'll see how I feel by the time I get to #2. For now, this stands as one of my Top 5 films in the Top 100.

Here is my favorite quote from the film:

"There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." - Michael Corleone

31 The Maltese Falcon

1941

I need to get to the final 25 of my American Film Institute Top 100 list soon, so I watched another film last night: #31 - The Maltese Falcon starringHumphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. This was the first film on the list where I had read the book, but not seen the movie. I really enjoyed the book and looked forward to seeing this highly acclaimed adaptation.

Sam Spade (Bogart) is a private detective in San Francisco. A beautiful woman and prospective client named Ruth Wonderly (Astor) meets him and his partner and claims to be looking for her sister and a man named Floyd Thursby. Later that night, Thursby winds up dead, Ruth is missing, and the police believe that Sam was behind it. Sam then tracks down Ruth who is now going by a different name and she tells a whole different story of what happened and the true reason she and Thursby came to San Francisco: to acquire a jewel encrusted bird known as the Maltese Falcon. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones searching for the valuable statue and Sam finds himself needing to both prove his own innocence and find the real murderer.

This 1941 film is often considered the first real noir film in American. It has the characteristic low-key black and white style, the cynical dialogue, a heavy use of shadows and low camera angles, and of course a morally questionable private detective as the central character. While I have seen a few of these in the past, more often than not I think of them in a parody or comedy sense (Who Framed Roger Rabbit or scenes from Stay Tuned). All the parodies I've seen got the feeling right - because watching it for real showed me all those cliches are real, and most likely were influenced by this film.

Humprey Bogart has been a tough one for me to decide how much I really like him (this is movie #3 of 4 for him on this list). The other two (The African Queen and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre) I loathed and then loved him. This one ends up being somewhere in the middle. I know that some of that is because I had read the book first - in my head he was not Sam Spade. Taking preconceived notions into account, I do have to say that I enjoyed his fast talking in this one. It was perfectly on par with the character he was playing.

I know this film is considered important, and has legendary actors and won awards and is based on a book that I really liked...but ultimately for me it wasn't really all that exciting. Some of the action was so old and slow moving it didn't feel like action at all, some relationships were forced due to time constraints, and overall it just wasn't nearly as suspenseful as I would have hoped. I don't think it should be this far down on this list, I think it should be over the #50 mark for sure.

My favorite line:

"I distrust a man who says "when." If he's got to be careful not to drink too much, it's because he's not to be trusted when he does." - Kasper Gutman

30 Apocalypse Now

1979

29 Double Indemnity

1944

I finished up the 30s on the American Film Institute's Top 100 list last night with #30 - Apocalypse Now starring Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. This was the third (and final) Vietnam War film included in the Top 100, and just judging by the cast, the most highly regarded. I had seen bits and pieces on TV, but had never sat down and watched the whole thing. All I really knew was that I absolutely love everyone in this movie.

Captain Ben Willard (Sheen) has returned to Saigon after finding himself unable to deal with life back home. While drinking and hallucinating in a hotel room alone, he is recruited on a special assignment to track down and kill Colonel Walter Kurtz (Brando) in Cambodia. Apparently Kurtz has gone insane and is commanding his own army of locals. In order to get to him, Willard joins a river patrol boat to travel along the Nung River into the remote jungle. Along the way they rendezvous with an attack helicopter squadron led by Colonel Kilgore (Duvall), encounter a tiger, see a USO show and find themselves in the middle of attacks all before finally arriving at Kurtz's outpost. All the while, Willard has been reading about Kurtz and going through his records finding out that he is intelligent and well trained a realizing his top secret mission is not going to be as simple as finding and killing Kurtz.

I'm not really big on war films, and even though the cast was incredible for this one, that is something that I have to be weary about putting expectations on. Even before starting this, I was flashing back to when I watched Platoonand constantly wishing I was watching my most favorite Vietnam War film, Full Metal Jacket. The reason I prefer one over the other has to do with the story telling. Less gun battles and tactical operations, more about character development and giving me ideas and feelings about what is happening. Well, now I might have to put this film above Full Metal Jacket as my favorite, which surprises me.

I think the reason I was able to be so engaged with this movie was the inner monologue of Willard. I was able to see everything that was happening, but I constantly had his voice, his perception and his feelings telling me what was really going on. It allowed me to feel more connected with what was happening and who he is/was/becomes.

Another reason might just be the quality acting in this film. The cast list is impressive, and Sheen was completely believable in his role as the hero/anti-hero, along with Duvall as the maniacal colonel, Hopper as the manic photographer and Brando as the psychotic genius. It was also cool to see a very young Lawrence Fishburne and Harrison Ford.

Aside from obvious cinematic amazingness (due to Coppola directing), a stand out point for me was the music. I knew I was going to be happy with the soundtrack when the film starts out with "This is the End" by The Doors. It seriously only got better from there.

While there are some very good and very famous lines in this film ("The Horror! The Horror!"), this one was a stand out for me:

"One through nine, no maybes, no supposes, no fractions. You can't travel in space, you can't go out into space, you know, without, like, you know, uh, with fractions - what are you going to land on - one-quarter, three-eighths? What are you going to do when you go from here to Venus or something? That's dialectic physics." The American photojournalist portrayed by Dennis Hopper

Breaking into the 20s on my American Film Institute list last night I watched #29 - Double Indemnity. This 1944 film noir directed by Billy Wilder is not a film I was familiar with at all, but it has been one I often see cited as one of the greatest films of the 1940s. With it's inclusion in this list and being as low as it is, it still took some great personal effort to decide to finally watch it.

The film opens up with a man sitting down in a dark office, speaking into a Dictaphone and telling his story of murder. This man is Walter Neff (Fred McMurray) who is an insurance salesman who stops by a client's home one afternoon. Intending to get a renewal for a car insurance policy, he meets the client's wife Phyllis (Barbara Stanwyck) and is immediately enthralled with her. She asks how she could get a life insurance policy without her husband's knowledge, which Neff immediately knows is because she wants to murder him. While at first he rejects the idea and insults her, he finds he can't stop thinking about her and decides that he knows the best way to kill her husband so they can be together and make a lot of money off the insurance policy. However, like any perfectly thought out plan, things can begin to unravel...

The first thing I noticed when I started to watch the film was the director's name. Billy Wilder has 4 films on this list, and the last one that I watched wasThe Apartment which I really enjoyed. After seeing his name, I immediately felt a little sigh of relief, and I was right. What I liked about what he did in the other film was what I liked most about this film. Excellent dialogue, well shot and interesting scenes, and a story that moves briskly but doesn't leave you feeling rushed.

This film was originally an eight part serial in a magazine in 1936. Knowing the story now, I bet it was so exciting each week as you got another piece of the puzzle. A good mystery/thriller is hard to find, and I'm finding that the best way may to go back to these original ideas. This movie has never been remade, but it easily could and wouldn't have to change a thing (technology aside).

Overall, really enjoyed it and feel it's place in the list is appropriate. Now I'm even more ready for Wilder's next two on the list: Some Like It Hot andSunset Blvd.

My favorite quote:

Phyllis: I'm a native Californian. Born right here in Los Angeles.
Walter: They say all native Californians come from Iowa.

28 All About Eve

1950

27 High Noon

1952

So working on my American Film Institute list (I've only got two more months and 27 movies to squeeze in - yikes!) I watched #28 - All About Eve starringBette Davis. This 1950 film won the Best Picture Academy Award as well as having the most nominations of any film until 1997's Titanic. It is also regarded as one of Marilyn Monroe's first important film roles.

The film opens at an Awards banquet where Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) is being given an award for a recent run on Broadway and theater critic Addison DeWitt (George Sanders) reminisces of how Eve came to be here. The film then flashes to one year prior where we meet Eve standing in an alley way behind a theater hoping to meet the play's star Margo Channing (Bette Davis). While Margo is a revered actress, she is also aging and very aware of what that may mean for her career. At first Margo has no interest in the young fan, but after hearing her sad life story, Margo befriends her and eventually hires her as her assistant and gives her a place to stay. Eve immediately injects herself into Margo's life and begins making moves behind her back to further her own career.

With all the accolades this film had, I was pretty let down by this film overall. The acting was fine. The story was fine. The filming was fine. Everything was fine, but I didn't feel like anything was exceptional. Even seeing someone like Marilyn Monroe in this didn't help - she wasn't dumb enough, exciting enough or even glamorous enough to add anything. Frankly, I was surprised to learn how many nominations this film received.

This is a 1950 black and white film starring an aging actress portraying an aging actress. At the time of this movie, Bette Davis was already a star and at the age when most people probably thought her career was dying down. Regardless of my overall interest in the film, it is clear what an incredible actress Bette Davis was because she is the one thing that holds this entire film together and keeps it interesting. I feel of the 14 nominations, hers is the only one that still holds up.

Is this a good movie? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Somewhat. Will I watch it again? Highly unlikely. Does it belong in the Top 20s of the American Film Institute's Top 100 movies? Absolutely not. I don't even know if I'd keep it in the list at all.

Favorite quote:

"Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!" - Margo Channing

The next American Film Institute movie I watched last night was the second to last Western on the list - #27 High Noon starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. It was obvious from the title what the genre was, so I went into it with a little bit of trepidation as I've split 2-2 with the other Westerns on the list so far.

The film opens up on the wedding day of Will Kane (Cooper), the marshal of a small New Mexico town. As he prepares to give up his badge and move on with his new Quaker wife Amy (Kelly), he finds out that a criminal he had caught and who was supposed to be hanged is arriving back in town on the noon train - and vows revenge. We then follow Kane in real time as he comes back to the town and tries to rally others to help him fight against this man who will surely terrorize the town. Unfortunately, very few people believe in him including his pacifist wife who threatens to leave him if he stays.

This 1952 Western is different than many others I've seen. While we have the "law man" and the "criminal man", this story is unique because of one key element: the film is told in real time. As soon as I realized that, it made the movie a little more exciting. Having a countdown and a limited amount of time that Kane was able to prepare for the noon confrontation made every interaction and conversation seem a lot more important, which helped to keep my interest in a genre I am normally bored with.

I enjoyed the movie for what it is, although it took about another hour or two after watching for me to get Kane's musical theme out of my head.

Whenever I'm given a film that I enjoy and doesn't really need more storytelling, I will often search out more information. So after I watched it, I decided to read about it and found even more interesting things about this movie. Here is a short list of cool facts:

1. This was Grace Kelly's second film, and only Western.
2. John Wayne disliked this movie so much he said he made Rio Bravo as an answer to the film.
3. Screenwriter Carl Foreman was one of the many people put on the Hollywood Blacklist during the Red Scare.
4. Katy Jurado won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and became the first Mexican actress to receive this award.
5. This movie is the most requested film to be screened in the White House, with President Bill Clinton requesting it 17 times while in office.
6. Grace Kelly's character's name is Amy Fowler (The Big Bang Theory link?)

These among other things made me think a little more deeply about the movie and will probably cause me to give it a second viewing. Is it Top 30 material? I'm not so sure about that - but I do see it having a place on this list.

My favorite quote:

"People gotta talk themselves into law and order before they do anything about it. Maybe because down deep they don't care. They just don't care." - Martin Howe

26 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

1939

I am now 75% finished with my American Film Institute list! I finished it off with #26 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington starring Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur. This 1939 Frank Capra film was one I had already seen, but was happy to watch again and hoped that I would still enjoy it as much as I remembered.

The film opens with the news that a senator has died, and the governor is tasked with appointing a new one. He is pressured by a corrupt political boss named Jim Taylor to pick someone on his payroll and the people of his state to pick a reformer candidate. Instead, he ends up choosing Jefferson Smith (Stewart) who is the head of the boy rangers and who his children wanted him to pick. He expects that Smith will accomplish both tasks - looking good for the people, and being an inexperienced politician so he can manipulate him into doing what he wants. When Jefferson Smith arrives in Washington he is introduced to Saunders (Arthur) who at first feels as though she is babysitting the new senator, but soon starts to believe in him and helps him to not only create his own bill, but fight for it as well.

I first saw this film with my dad when I was around 12 or 13, and again in my high school government class at 17. This film is such a feel good, little guys can triumph type film that I don't know how you could not like it. Especially with Jimmy Stewart at the helm - he is the most likable guy playing the most likable guy.

This all-American film is one that inspires - it makes you believe that persistence and integrity are what win battles. It also makes you believe that all the lies and corruption will eventually crumble revealing the perpetrators behind it and they will feel sorry for all they have done and acknowledge their wrong doings. In that sense, this film is one that now feels unfortunately nostalgic.

This movie definitely belongs on this list - it is a classic, and it is beautifully written, acted and directed. While I still love this movie and I have a feeling I always will, the government lesson and United States pride that this film attempts to instill is sadly only something that could have worked in 1939.

My favorite quote:

"I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules if, behind them, they didn't have a little bit of plain, ordinary, everyday kindness and a little looking out for the other fella, too." - Jefferson Smith