Ten Best Movies of All Time
Jun 01 '00 (Updated Oct 28 '00)
Best/Worst lists are going to be subjective, it really isn't possible to objectively name the ten or one hundred best/worst films of all time. That said, here is my list of PERSONAL favorites, in no particular order.
1.) "The General" Buster Keaton stars/directs one of the funniest movies ever. This is probably the best single example of Keaton's genius for timing, setting, and visual jokes. This silent film needs absolutely no dialog to tell it's story. The "Great Stone Face" made many fine films, but "The General" is regarded by most authorities as his greatest work.
2.) "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" John Huston's masterpiece of greed and human frailty. Bravura performances by Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt, and Walter Huston (cameo by John Huston)..."Badges, we don't need no stinking badges"
3.) "Chinatown" Roman Polanski/Robert Towne collaboration that gives Jack Nicholson, John Huston, Faye Dunaway, and Polanski himself some of the defining moments in movie history. This film is an incredible "period" piece with a convoluted story of greed, corruption, incest, and tragedy. Polanski as the knife wielding punk with a sense of humor is classic, his "Here Kitty, Kitty", is "noir" dialog at its finest. Probably the all time zenith for the "Private Detective" flick.
4.) "Last of the Mohicans" Michael Mann's lyrical and beautiful frontier drama, set against the backdrop of the French and Indian War, is also a wonderful old fashioned love story. This is one of the most beautiful films of all time, the locations, costumes, sets, and dialog are all perfect. Daniel Day Lewis and Madeleine Stowe star.
5.) "The Third Man" Carol Reed's dark and unsettling tale of greed, naive faith, and misplaced loyalty, set in post WWII Vienna. Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles. Beautiful, moody B&W photography, zither music, and the sewers of Vienna...what more could a movie fan ask.
6.) "Rear Window" Hitchcock's stylish and funny, one set, suspense thriller. James Stewart, Grace Kelly, MacDonald Carey, Thelma Ritter, and Raymond Burr. A restored version is currently playing the "Big Screen" in major markets.
7.) "My Darling Clementine" John Ford's re-telling of the Gunfight at the OK corral. Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, and Linda Darnell. Fonda's troubled Wyatt Earp set the style for the flawed but essentially good "Sheriff/Marshall/Lawman Character" in adult westerns for every actor who came after him. Mature (as Doc Holiday) did the only real acting of his career in this film.
8.) "The African Queen" John Huston's fantastic pairing of Humphrey Bogart (as the captain of the African Queen) and Katherine Hepburn (as a spinster Missionary) set in colonial Africa at the beginning of WWI. A mythical journey down a dark and frightening river, and a heartwarming love story. The little guy triumphs in the end, despite insurmountable odds. This is what movies are all about, the mythology of our age.
9.) "Sunset Boulevard" Billy Wilder's wonderful tribute to the movies, a movie about movies. William Holden, Gloria Swanson, and Erich Von Stroheim, with cameos by Buster Keaton, Cecil B. DeMille, H.B. Warner, Jack Webb, and Hedda Hopper. My wife and I saw this film on the big screen at the Louisville Palace, a fully restored 1923 movie palace, with state of the art projection and audio systems.
10.) "The Harder They Come" Perry Henzell's film, set in Kingston Jamaica (with a fantastic Reggae soundtrack) tells the story of Ivan, a destitute kid from Shantytown with a dream of wealth and stardom as a Reggae performer, the dream goes horribly wrong. Jimmy Cliff, Carl Bradshaw, Ras Daniel Hartman, and Janet Bartley.
Here are a handful of "almost made the cut" films.
11.) "Stand By Me" Rob Reiner's almost perfect "coming of age" film. Set on the last weekend of summer 1959, this is a story of friendship, growth, and discovery. Narrated by Richard Dreyfus, with first rate performances by River Phoenix, Will Wheaton, Corey Feldman, and Kiefer Sutherland.
12.) "A Boy And His Dog" This quirky movie is the best of the "Post Apocalyptic" Sci Fi thrillers. A very young (and very hormonal) Don Johnson struggles to survive and recreate in a hostile and barren future, with the help of the smartest dog in movie history. Watch for the "surprise ending"
13.) "Rancho Deluxe" Frank Perry's hilarious "Cowboys & Indians" buddy film, set in the "New West", where the rustlers aren't the villains, and the Stock Detective isn't the hero. Jeff Bridges, Sam Watterson, Slim Pickens, and Elizabeth Ashley.
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Member: Howard Creech
Location: Louisville, KY
Reviews written: 333
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About Me:
Photographer/Writer fascinated by Movies, Music, Books, American Diner Food, History, "Popular Culture", and Travel.
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