The French Connection

Best Picture 1971, along with Roy Scheider and Gene Hackman, this is supposed to be a quintessential man movie about cars, drugs, and guns. Most reviews say this is a very gritty movie about cops in the 1970s. 

2 Sentences or Less: Honestly I had high expectations for this movie that weren't met. It wasn't bad by any stretch, but in our Michael Bay era, this isn't the hottest movie. 

Current Rank: High 20s, low teens. 

The Maltese Falcon

The "original" film noir movie according to the box, as well as a good Bogart film (I've only ever seen Casablanca). This is supposedly a classic story that has been made many times, and requires a certain mindset to see. 

2 Sentences or Less: A completely different time period, but that's the only way this works. This is the movie that every stereotype of Film Noir is taken from.

Current Rank (No, Really): 

1. American Beauty (Best Movie so Far)

2. Memento (Most Original Movie so Far)

3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Best Actor to Jack Nicholson)

4. City of God (Best Foreign Film so Far)

5. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Oh yes he did)

6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Best Movie with Comedy so Far)

7. Platoon (Best War Movie so Far)

8. The Departed (Best Mafia Movie so Far)

9. North By Northwest (Best Thriller so Far)

10. Gangs of New York (Best Villain to Daniel Day-Lewis)

11. Breakfast Club (I liked it better than Big Chill)

12. Full Metal Jacket (Best Kubrick Movie so Far)

13. In the Heat of the Night (Gives people a real historical perspective)

14. Requiem for a Dream (Most Effective Movie so Far)

15. Taxi Driver (Most Disturbed goes to Travis Bickle)

16. The Big Chill (Biggest All-Star Cast so Far)

17. Big Lebowski (Best Movie to Watch While... Altered so Far)

18. The Natural (Best Sports Movie So Far)

19. Doubt (Catholics, Molestation, and you're sure it's not a documentary? Zing)

20. Rain Man (Hey, it was good, but I wouldn't watch it again)

21. No Country for Old Men (2nd Best Coen Brothers Film so Far)

22. Swingers (Hilarious, really hilarious)

23. Babel (Best Movie with 5 Languages in it so Far)

24. Maltese Falcon (It was pretty good, see)

25. The Machinist (If you want a movie with an unpredictable twist...)

26. Man on Wire (Fascinating Story)

27. Bonnie and Clyde (Best Him and Her Robbery Flick so Far)

28. Slap Shot (Classic Comedy, Good Sports, Bad People)

29. The Graduate (2nd Best Dustin Hoffman Performance so Far)

30. Rope (Not Hitchcock’s best, but it wasn’t an original story either)

31. Blow (2nd Best Drug Dealer Movie so Far) *First goes to City of God

32. Taken (Best Kick-Ass and Take Names Movie so Far)

33. Teen Wolf (Most Dated and Illogical Movie so Far)

 

 

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington

I never had seen a movie with Jimmy Stewart until Rope. How sad is that? Again, parenting is at fault. This is supposedly the seminal movie on America, considered a patriotic exercise and an interesting look at democracy and its ideals. Plus this was in that 1939 Oscar Class that includes at least 5 of the top 100 movies of all time (Stagecoach, Nintokchak (sp.?), Mr. Smith, Gone with the Wind, and Wizard of Oz). Of course this was on the list. 

2 Sentences or Less: Likable, lovable, honest, Jefferson Smith is the man. There is no greater good guy in any movie I've watched before, and that's just one of the reasons this movie is awesome. 

Current Rank (List coming after the next movie): Top 7 or 8, it's just hard to compare many of these great but so different movies. 

The Breakfast Club

Another one that people are just offended by if you have not seen it, this is classic John Hughes. I never saw Pretty in Pink either, but I picked this one due to bigger name actors, and a supposed higher cultural significance. Everyone talks about this movie, even today. 

2 Sentences or Less: I liked all the acting, especially Anthony Michael Hall, and somehow the story felt like it came together. It was predictable but it was definitely classic.

Current Rank: I'll say Top 10. Big Chill was essentially the same type of movie, and I liked this one better, so it's higher than at least 19-20 of them. 

Rope

Another, less known Hitchcock movie, I've just always wanted to see this. The plot is basically that two men try to commit the perfect crime by murdering a man then having a dinner party with everyone close to him, using his casket (in this case a chest) covered in a table cloth as the main piece of the party. It becomes a thriller of wits, and a moral debate.

2 Sentences or Less: It really is a debate of morals, but an absolute mental thinker. Jimmy Stewart is the only big name actor, but is good as the man who is suspicious of the crime. 

Current Rank: It's no North by Northwest, probably in the high 20s. 

In the Heat of the Night

Another day, another Best Picture winner. Also, I've never seen Sydney Poitier in anything, which is odd I know. Again I blame that on parenting. This movie won four Oscar's in 1967, going up against the Graduate mainly, and is considered Poitier's highest film. The best thing was watching this movie on TCM, and getting the five random tidbits of information beforehand about the film, so now I can rattle off some facts (George C. Scott was originally slated to play the Sheriff).

2 Sentences or Less: Really really good movie, and in terms of that year's Oscar I agree with it over the Graduate. The seminal movie I've watched about racial tensions in the '60s so far. 

Current Rank: Top 6 or 7... we're starting to get backfilled with great movies that are hard to rank.  

North by Northwest

Hitchcock... Cary Grant... Thrillers... Mount Rushmore... if this thing had any more twists and turns it'd be a labyrinth (a movie that is not on my list). I don't need to justify this.

2 Sentences or Less: This movie was amazing, the quintessential thriller. My favorite Hitchcock, but we'll see how Rope and others hold up.

Current Rank: Top five, no questions asked.