TOP 20: #802 - #901

I don't really know what to write here. It's the same old song & dance. I've watched one hundred more movies and now I take a moment to pick out the best, pick out the next batch of movies that I'll add to my personal 1,000 greatest list. As it pertains to the original project, the project of watching every film in the 5th edition of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, I should be done by the end of 2015. When I watch one more movie, I'll be into double digits and I suspect it'll be all downhill from there. It's been a rough hundred, a hundred where I actually flirted with the idea of just throwing in the towel. But I persevered and I'm glad. It's been fun, I've seen some great movies, some movies I'd probably have never seen without the urging of THE BOOK and now I sit aside some time to talk about the best of this past one hundred movies. For the newcomers, here's the deal: One hundred more movies have been watched. Now, I make a TOP 20 list, ranking the twenty greatest movies of the last hundred. In addition to those twenty, there will also be ten honorable mention films, which I call the TEN WORTH MENTIONING. When all is said and done, I add all thirty movies to my personal 1,000 greatest list, which will now stand at 280 movies. Just so we're clear, I've definitely put some time into this. I haven't just thrown this list together, but rather took the time to make sure it was just right, made the proper adjustments and settled on this twenty, in this order. Also, for the ones playing along at home, I'll be doing the usual method of copying and pasting chunks from the original reviews, but also, for most reviews, I'll be adding in extra comments which will appear in italics. I think I've said all that needs to be said, let's get down to business!

CLICK HERE TO SEE A COMPLETE LIST OF THE LAST 100 FILMS I'VE WATCHED FOR THE "1001 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE" BOOK, INCLUDING MY INITIAL RATINGS OF THOSE FILMS

Note: I've revised some of the ratings for the following 20 films, as some of them needed a bit of tweaking. 

20. Ran (1985) dir. Akira Kurosawa  8/10

I don't say this often, in fact the only other time I can remember stating it is during my Jaws review, but I'll say it here, again: I can't imagine anyone not liking this. And I mean flat out disliking it. Sure, even I wasn't totally blown away (as my rating will suggest), but I definitely LIKED IT and quite a lot. There's absolutely no reason to dislike this movie. It has something for everyone. If you're someone who is only concerned with a strong plot, check. This film has a fantastic plot and hey, it's based on King Lear, which means ignorant guys like me who wouldn't know King Lear from King Friday can now somewhat have a point of reference when any snob brings up the classic Shakespeare play. The whole movie is a complete chaos & anarchy and literally nothing good happens to these characters. The whole thing is one big downer, complete with death, destruction, backstabbing, revenge and one wicked decapitation. Everything goes to hell, pretty much everyone dies and our final image is of a blind man, wandering on a mountaintop, wondering what has become of his sister, who has also been decapitated (make that two decapitations!).

I just couldn't, in good conscience, keep this off the TOP 20 list. At one point, during the construction of this list, I had it placed as a TEN WORTH MENTIONING, but that just didn't seem right. I'm proud to welcome a Kurosawa film into my fold and now finally be able to have an answer ready if ever asked the question: What's your favorite Kurosawa film?

19. High School (1968) dir. Frederick Wiseman  8/10

I really did like this doc though. It was easy to watch and made seventy five minutes feel like ten. If anything, this BOOK has really helped me to come to appreciate documentary filmmaking, going back as far as Nanook of the North, one of the first movies I saw from THE BOOK and one of the first ones I gave a '10/10' to. There was something about these characters that you just couldn't create; it was reality on display and it makes you realize why there was such a reality TV movement so many years ago that still carries on today. Of course, the reality TV that we watch is all semi to fully scripted, but you know what I'm saying. There's something fascinating about watching real life unfold and especially if there's a story and a message behind it. This movie was really easy to watch and each time the segment changed, you wondered what sort of conflict the camera was going to zoom in on next. It was all so intriguing, fascinating and I thought this was top notch documentary filmmaking.

Easily the best documentary I watched all season and not just because I only watched two (Woodstock being the other). I loved this and will forever reference that buzz cutted, gruff teacher with the black frame glasses anytime I read a novel that requires the visualization of a high school teacher. This movie was like a time capsule and earned it's #19 spot with ease. 

18. The Quiet Earth (1985) dir. Geoff Murphy  8/10

Anyway, this one held my attention pretty well though outside of those nitpicky things and even that thirty or so dull minutes, which was more than a minor nitpick really. I will say that the concept is completely original to me, despite a few minor plot holes (or maybe there weren't plot holes, it's a lot of information to process and at times it just feels a little too unbelievable). The whole last man on Earth, post apocalypse, trying to survive thing is always a synopsis that interests me and while I think I'd would've have preferred something a little less intricate and with one or two less characters, this was always entertaining, interesting and intriguing. It's also a breath of fresh air in a season of movies that have mostly been hard to sit through. I'll definitely be remembering this one come TOP 20 time and thanking THE BOOK for a discovery that I'd have never made on my own.

I honestly didn't think this was going to get into the TOP 20 when I first saw it and had it more pegged for a TEN WORTH MENTIONING nod. However, after careful consideration, this one had the cinematography, the direction and the plot to edge it past spots #20 and #19, to get it well seeded into the main list. Definitely a find for me and one that I still thank THE BOOK for guiding me to.

17. Don't Look Now (1973) dir. Nicholas Roeg  8/10

this is a fine film and one that I'd easily recommend. I'm not sure I'd go so far as to consider it a horror film, but it definitely has horror undertones and the city of Venice works perfectly to give it that extra cryptic feel. I loved the chemistry between Sutherland and Christie, which may have been cemented by that particularly graphic, yet sensationally edited sex scene between the two - one that got considerable attention and deemed one of the raunchiest of the time. I, for one, thought the two actors did fine jobs and has really opened my eyes to what a great actress Christie really is (coupled with the performance she gave in "McCabe and Mrs. Miller"). I've always been a Sutherland fan and I'm seriously considering hoisting "Klute" to the top of the list and watching it soon. Anyway, check this one out and make your own conclusions & theories and ask your own questions. I assure you this is one that will stick with you, at least for a little bit and one that you're probably gonna' want to watch again right after you finish it.

I kinda forgot the Nicholas Roeg directed this which makes Performance and The Man Who Fell to Earth (two films that I gave no mind to when considering this list) possible misfires on his part and maybe there's hope for him yet. This was just great with Christie and Sutherland turning in fine performances and the whole film walking a fine line between straight up horror and just an eerie mystery/thriller. Watch out for little red riding hood!

16. The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972) dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder  8/10

The film is really good, but beware that many cite it as very boring too. It's dialogue HEAVY (in fact, it's basically nothing but dialogue) so be prepared to listen to people just talk for a couple of hours. I will say this too, any points I deduct will likely be for the first two sections, which are filled with really less than perfect dialogue. Honestly, Petra and Sidonie's initial interaction could've either been cut way down or spiced way up, as they go on and on for probably nearly thirty minutes and honestly don't say much. It's crucial stuff though, as this is where we learn about Frank, so it's hard to say just take it out. The stuff between Karin and Petra, during their date is also pretty stale, as they spend minutes at a time talking about their school days and how Petra liked Algebra, but Karin just didn't get it and on and on and on. However, things get a lot better after that, as the big argument scene, as well as the birthday stuff are all GREAT, with Margit Carstensen pouring her freakin' heart out all over the screen.

Wow, that paragraph doesn't sound reminiscent of a #16 film on one of my TOP 20 lists, does it? Screw it, this was great filmmaking and the first of three amazing Fassbinder films I saw this season (would've been four, but The Marriage of Maria Braun wasn't that great). I don't even remember those droning dialogue scenes I'm referring to above being THAT BAD and actually I kind of want to watch this again right now, just so I can prove my past self wrong. Great acting, by a group of very talented actresses. 

15. Fat City (1972) dir. John Huston  8/10 

Man, look at Stacy Keach in this one showing us that you didn't have to be good looking in the 70s to be a movie star. Trust me, if he or even someone like Jack Nicholson were coming up through the ranks today, they wouldn't have a hope in hell of getting work in Hollywood. That's a shame, because when you look at Keach in this film, you're really watching a master at work and it's also a shame that before last night, I barely knew the name Stacy Keach. But man, what a performance he laid out for us, am I wrong? Not just him either, but Susan Tyrrell (who was nominated for an Oscar for this) also did an outstanding job and it makes me wonder why this picture is so inaccessible. You've also got Jeff Bridges in there and if I've never mentioned it before, let me tell you that I am a HUGE Jeff Bridges fan. In fact, there was a time when I tried my best to own all of Bridges' films on DVD. Furthermore, I actually owned this one at one time, but sold it when I decided that buying all of these films blind was a bad idea and realizing that a lot of them weren't THAT good. Too bad I never watched this one before though, or else I wouldn't have sold it - now it's out of print and would probably cost me a mint to get back. Anyway, yeah, I love me some Jeff Bridges and it makes me wish they'd thrown "The Fabulous Baker Boys" or even "The Big Lebowski" into THE BOOK too.

This was an silent runner in the race to TOP 20, as I watched it, loved it and then kind of forgot about it until I was putting the list together last night. I loved this and mostly because of a trio of great performances by Keach, Tyrrell and Bridges. Oh and don't forget about that Kris Kristofferson song, which is used to full effect and really outlines the plight of these characters, especially Keach's Tully.

14. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) dir. James Cameron  8.5/10

All in all though, I dug this movie a lot. Like I said yesterday during the review of the original, both of these movies were big parts of my childhood, seeing them multiple times as a kid. Plot holes, overblown action sequences and sappy Arnie aside, I have a hard time giving this movie a hard time. It's easy to watch, fun to watch and it's pretty much nonstop action. I need to go back and check out that alternate ending though, because I've just realized I forgot to earlier. Apparently an alternate ending shows what happens to John and Sarah now that the end of the world has been averted.

So yesterday I run down James Cameron for ruining Aliens for me and today I give him a #14 spot on my coveted TOP 20 list. Oh well, I'll happily run down James Cameron on a daily basis, if need be, but I'll always excuse the Terminator films when giving him the business. These are great and have been favorites of mine for a long time, they were both basically shoo ins for this list.

13. Alien (1979) dir. Ridley Scott  8.5/10

Ridley Scott made this almost look like a found footage film, at times. The music is less pronounced than other Hollywood blockbusters and sometimes it's the silence that scores the really tense scenes, keeping us on edge, just knowing that something's gonna' pop out. And when it ends up being the fucking cat, I'm not even calling cheap thrill, because it works and it's cool and with an alien aboard the ship, you know the next thrill will be far from cheap. The plot is simple and very effective and I found this to be a film that would be hard to dislike. Sure, you could say, I just don't like horror or alien films, but really it's not THAT scary and falls more under the category of sci fi, I think. It's more of an Agatha Christie style murder mystery, where we already know who the killer is and we're just waiting to see who the survivor's gonna' be. Let's face it, Weaver wasn't a star by this point, so it could've just as easily been Veronica Cartwright running around at the end of the film in HER skimpy panties or God forbid, Yaphet Kotto (shudder). Granted, I'm not a sci fi fan, so I didn't go quite as fanboy for it as others probably did, but I'm just saying despite being very sci fi, it's much more than that. It's also probably the classiest, most well put together horror movie I've ever seen. This movie's shots and scenes look like they belong in a coffee table book about classic scenes in cinema, proving that Scott and crew were out for more than just a monster movie.

I told you I'd be ready to jack up the rating by TOP 20 time! You know what did it, I think? The fact that Aliens made me realize how much Cameron screwed up. The original Alien was just so good and with Aliens being in THE BOOK and with me really liking the Terminator flicks, I expected it to be just as good, if not better. I was totally wrong. Scott and crew deserve praise for all the reasons I mentioned above, as this film was just a classic and one that I'm glad to bring into the fold of my personal list. I asked the question at the end of my Alien review, "where do we go from here?" and the answer was nowhere good.

12. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder  9/10

It's kind of hard to crack on this movie at all, as so many elements are executed to perfection. I mean, what about that camera work?! I loved how Fassbinder stayed back during many of his shots, keeping a distance, eyeballing his subjects from afar. It made for some mesmerizing visuals, the types of images that you just don't get in your run of the mill motion picture. The acting was fine, as was the plot. The characters were fleshed out and developed and the whole film had an heir of greatness about it - you just felt as if you were watching something that was going to be great. Fassbinder is shaping up to be one of my favorite director's from THE BOOK and it just goes to show that sometimes you just KNOW what you're going to like. I was worried that perhaps I'd waited to long, that perhaps my interest in Fassbinder built up too much that disappointment was inevitable. But, so far, he's living up to everything I expected - maybe even a bit more.

Mark down two for Fassbinder and I stand behind my statement that he was and is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I can't wait to completely wrap THE BOOK so that I can focus on some other movies, movies that I actually seek out and find myself and I think I'll start with polishing off the rest of Fassbinder's filmography, as extensive as it is. Big thumbs up for this one though.

11. Badlands (1973) dir. Terrence Malick  9/10
And then, of course, there's that camera work, which provided me with a multitude of shots to choose from for this very post, but ultimately I had to decide on three. It's funny because the characters don't really deserve this good of a movie. When you think of this heathen Kit Carruthers, poetic lines and visual artistry don't spring to mind and maybe that's why this film stands out as such a great one - because it creates a mash-up of such beauty and such ugliness.

Really boosted my rating for this one, from the original '7.5' to the '9' that I'm upping it to today. But this was just great and even reading my review, I can tell I probably even underrated it at the time. I really gushed about this one back in July and why I only went with a respectable, but ultimately measly '7.5' is beyond me. Good to have a favorite Malick film now too.

10. Five Easy Pieces (1970) dir. Bob Rafelson  9/10
This is a real slice of life picture and has aged really well. It's just about a man trying to find his way, a very simple picture that I think is really easy to enjoy. I had seen this film once before and remembered liking it very well. I was coming off of a pretty vicious headache today and needed something that wasn't going to require a lot of thought and this was just what the doctor ordered, although in the end, I did find myself pondering this character quite a bit, so perhaps my plan backfired. Oh well. It was a fine day at the movies, one that both my wife and I enjoyed and this comes with an easy recommendation.

Another one that just sort of lingered in the background, waiting to wave it's hands to get my attention come last night and the construction of this list. I wasn't really thinking about this one in the weeks leading up to the list, but when I noticed it last night, I knew it needed placed and placed high. I really liked it and this is one I could watch again and again. I'm becoming quite the Nicholson fan, I might add.

09. A Man Escaped (1956) dir. Robert Bresson  9/10
It probably didn't hurt that my wife and I are still truckin' away on Oz, therefore I've been all hopped up on prison fiction anyway. However I'm such a sucker for prison stuff that it never takes much anyway to win me over. Add to that the fact that I'm an even bigger sucker for escape flicks and this one was a sure fire winner right out of the gate. I have to admit though, that after watching those first two Bresson films, I was a little skeptical. Sure Pickpocket was just fine, but Diary of a Country Priest was downright dull and there was always the chance that Bresson could go extra dull for this one. I'm for minimalist filmmaking however and this was almost as minimal as it gets: unprofessional actors, more narration than actual character to character dialogue and long shots of simply the main character trying to spoon his way out of a solid concrete Nazi prison camp. Sure, it's no Le Trou, which gets even more intricate when it comes to elaborate escape plans, but it was a damn good movie and one that I'd be willing to watch over and over again.

You saw this coming right? I mean, it's a prison escape movie which was a shoo in to be in the TOP 10. Add Bresson to the list of directors that I can now speak intelligently about, as well as have a favorite movie of his loaded, if ever asked the question.

08. The Terminator (1984) dir. James Cameron  9/10
I mean you've got action, you've got a thriller, you've got a horror movie and you basically have a non-stop chase scene from beginning to end, with a bunch of really cool, "holy shit" moments thrown in there for good measure. The plastic bombs being thrown at the Terminator while he pursues Sarah & Reese on a motorcycle, the T-800 rising from the wreckage when one of the bombs is thrown into the flammable semi that he's driving, now completely shed of his skin and of course, the raid the T-800 does on the police station. I'll admit, I pretty much hated the all of the scenes that flashed forward to the war, but what can you do.

I needed to convey that this was easily better than Terminator 2 and upping it a point and a half was a good start. I had originally gone '7.5' along with the sequel, but '9' is much more suitable.

07. Fox and His Friends (1975) dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder  9.5/10
As I watched and got deeper and deeper into the film, I kept wondering how it'd all end. I have to say the ending was pretty perfect: Fox having given EVERYTHING to Eugen, except a few spare marks, spends his last night sleeping in his car, before overdosing on valium and dying in the subway, only to have his pockets picked by two youths. I have to ask though, what were Max and Klaus doing together? Was there something there that went straight over my head, a relationship that was eluded to earlier that I missed, perhaps? I was kind of confused by that. I also really loved Fassbinder in this too. What is it about director's in their own movies that always somehow seems to turn out good? Perhaps it's because they know exactly the performance they want and how to deliver it - yeah, that must be it. I was totally taken by him in this and those littler mannerisms he'd deliver when Eugen scolded him, bowing his head a bit and somehow perfectly portraying a temporarily broken hearted man. It only served to side me more with him and oppose me more to Eugen, which is, I'm sure, the intended reaction. Oh and how about that apartment the two had? The spiral staircase, the balcony with the grand view and that marvelous bed with a cherub printed on the foot board - hell, it even had orange carpet, something that for some reason I always think of when I think of old style apartments. Anyway, it was awesome and I kind of wanted to live there, but no with these characters.

Again, I say past me is one picky son of a bitch! I only gave this an '8' originally and it's so much better than that. Still, I can't go full monty or anything, but I'll go as close as I can and a '9.5' is very fair for this classic - easily the best Fassbinder I saw this season.

06. Turkish Delight (1973) dir. Paul Verhoeven  10/10
In conclusion, this was great and I'm left realizing that the name Rutger Hauer, someone who only two days ago I knew only as an actor with a funny name, will now mean something to me. It makes me wonder of all the other celebrities names I've heard only and how many of those I'll someday be able to connect to a personal experience. Now when I hear that name, it won't be just a funny sounding one, but will also come with the memory of this fantastic piece of cinema, a movie that I won't soon forget. It's hard to find, but I promise it's worth the hunt and please, do your best to not give up on it after the first thirty minutes...

Now we enter hallowed ground, ladies & gents. We're talking the movies that from here on out are flawless and are the six movies that will define my past year of movie watching. If I was the president of an academy, these would be my best picture nominees and we kick it off with Verhoeven's masterpiece, Turks fruit. I LOVED this movie and need to find a DVD copy, so I can add it to my collection.

05. The Elephant Man (1980) dir. David Lynch  10/10
I can't really think of anything else to say, so I guess I'll wrap it up. The Elephant Man is currently streaming on Netflix and I 100% agree that it is a must see. Not only is it sure to give you a new appreciation for black & white cinema (the cinematography is spot on!), but also an appreciation for life, for kindness and for your fellow man. And if it gets to that ending and tears aren't at least making their presence in your eyes, then perhaps you are made of stone....

...though, I'll still regard Blue Velvet as my personal favorite David Lynch film! But this was great and slowly, Lynch is getting back into my good graces, after years of writing him off as nothing to get excited about.

04. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) dir. Milos Forman  10/10
Anyway, yeah, I love this movie. Who doesn't, really? I don't knock anyone's tastes but is there anyone who doesn't like this movie? I mean, what's not to like? Remember when you're a teen and you start to really get into films? I remember when I did. I was a big movie fan all my life, but when I was really young (I'm talking 10 - 12 years old) I was way into comedies. I'd go the store and rent things like "Wayne's World" and Eddie Murphy movies. I'd see the classics - The Godfathers and the Scorsese's and the Spielberg's - but I'd never rent them. Then one day, you decide to take the plunge, to see The Godfather maybe and you realize everything you've heard was crap because this movie was crap. No I'm not calling The Godfather crap, my twelve - fourteen year old self is. Anyway, my point is, Cuckoo's Nest is different. It's a classic that is also really easy to love and really hard to dislike. It's the one time I think the whole world can agree that the Academy actually picked the right movie to give their awards to, as I don't know many who can't find SOMETHING to love about Cuckoo's Nest.

I really expected this to be #1 when I watched it, but after watching it and letting it soak in, I knew that there were three better movies this season...

03. The Night of the Hunter (1955) dir. Charles Laughton  10/10
Ummm...in case you missed it in all that - I loved this! I could probably go another few paragraphs, but I won't just because. If you're one of the ones who aren't convinced that they were making great movies in the 50s, then here's your proof. I promise, it's nothing like any old movie you've ever seen and it kind of breaks a lot of the unwritten rules of the times, does it not? I mean, I was pretty freaking shocked when they actually killed off Shelley Winters (a notable star at the time, I think) at the HALFWAY MARK! I couldn't believe it. By the way, while I LOVE most old movie posters, this one is pretty crappy. If I was going to see this movie based solely on this purpose, I'd be expecting a film about marital unbliss and that's all. It should have been a much darker poster, with a sole shot of Mitchum and his love/hate hands, with the tag line, "Would you like me to tell you the little story of right hand/left hand?" Man, I just love it when a movie effects me so much that I start playing armchair filmmaker!

02. The Conversation (1974) dir. Francis Ford Coppola  10/10
I may rate it a few notches below a '10' today, but I think when I think back on this movie it's really going to dawn on me just how perfect it was. And what about that score - brilliance! It was just perfect and honestly, the combination of that music coupled with this film, makes it the best composition I've heard in quite sometime. It portrays the eeriness of being watched, coupled with the paranoia and guilt of our main character and it just suits the film so well. Have a listen. I think whenever I hear that piece, all of the details of this film are going to come flooding back: Hackman's master class performance, the beauty of the camerawork, the near flawlessness of Coppola's writing & direction and the way the plot perfectly appealed to me.

01. The French Connection (1971) dir. William Friedkin  10/10
Seriously people, what's not to like? Seriously!? Because I couldn't find anything that I didn't like and all in all, I had an amazing time watching this last night. In fact, after getting up at 6:30am yesterday morning and not popping this in the DVD player until somewhere around 10pm, I didn't even begin to doze off and even when I laid down (which was past midnight), I just laid there for about ten minutes, thinking about what I just watched. What a great movie and I know I've said it before, but dammit, they just don't make them anymore, like they did in the 70s. Imagine a picture like this even getting nominated for a Best Picture Oscar nowadays, let alone winning! It would never happen. The 70s had a certain grit, a certain independence and filmmakers who knew what they wanted and would do anything to get it, like William Friedkin sitting in the backseat of the car, during the chase scene, to film it himself. Great, great stuff here people and this should've been at the top of your Netflix queue yesterday, so that you could have spent your Valentine's Day today with Popeye!

Here's my theory: You want to know why I shit on so many movies this season and why this may have been....no, no, it definitely was the worst season of movies I've had since starting THE BOOK? Because during the very first week of me watching movies for this season, I saw The French Connection, The Conversation and The Night of the Hunter! Three flawless movies (and yes, past me, you are still a silly bitch who needs slapped with the long white glove of an elderly bourgeoisie woman!) that really made an impact on every future film I'll watch. When I see a film noir, I'll always reference The Night of the Hunter. Whenever I see a drug busting, crime film, I'll think of The French Connection and whenever I ever hear a great score, I'll always think: It's not nearly as great as the score from The Conversation. There it is, kids!

TEN WORTH MENTIONING: Lola (1961), Shock Corridor (1963), Wanda (1970), Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), The American Friend (1977), Saturday Night Fever (1977), The Tin Drum (1979), The Fourth Man (1983), The Right Stuff (1983) and Tampopo (1985)

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Well kids, that's a wrap. The next season will kick off with The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II and from there, I've got some treats lined up, some things I've been saving just so I could bust out for the final season. I'm talking about tribute weeks to Andrei Tarkovsky (I've NEVER seen one of his films), Werner Herzog (ditto), John Cassavetes (ditto) and Francois Truffaut. I'm talking about classics like Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, The Matrix, Braveheart, Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, The African Queen, Singin in the Rain, The Searchers, The Wild Bunch, Scarface and Seven Samurai, just to name a few. And who knows, maybe my next, my final #1 movie lingers somewhere else, somewhere outside of those select few I just named. We shall see. It's going to be a fun season, one that will end in the completion of my self inflicted film school. I'm ready...let's do it!

January 20, 2015  3:45pm