Last night I was channel flipping, going down in numbers. I got to channel 12, which here is TBS, and it was the end of The Wizard of Oz. Great movie. A fine coincidence. I note the channel, and continue through the last few to see if anything better was on.

So I went down one more channel, which is TNT, and The Wizard of Oz was on that channel was well. At the same part (I think TBS' was about 40 seconds ahead). Freakin' weird.

What are the odds that on November 9th, a random Friday night, at the exact same time two cable channels which, as far as I know, don't have anything to do with each others programming, would be showing the same movie at the same time? And not a new movie, but a very old movie.

The odd thing though was that The Wizard of Oz was re-released on DVD maybe a year ago on a special edition, which I bought. I think it was newly restored or something. Anyway, TBS had a restored, more colorful version, where it looked like TNT had the original.

Man, I love that movie.

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So finally, after about a year, I have now seen every movie on AFI's list of the 100 greatest movies (view the completed checklist here). The reason I did this was to discover great movies I would never otherwise watch, and in that aspect this list was very helpful.

I sat here for a few minutes and thought, 'Why not rearrange these into a top 100 of MY picking?' I began doing so, and after about twenty movies I had to stop because there's so many fantastic movies on this list it's literally impossible to rank them against each other fairly. How do you compare 'Vertigo' to 'The Searchers?' They're two completely different movies. 'Singin' in the Rain' versus 'The Maltese Falcon.' Two very different genres, yet they're both probably the best of the best within those areas.

Which movie do you rank higher -- the innovative movie that set the bar for a whole movement, or the movie that perfected those elements a few years later? Each movie is unique and special by its own criteria.

For that reason, I will instead split the movies into three categories. The first category will be 'Perfect Movies.' These will be movies that should be on everyone's must-see list. They age like wine. Their importance to film cannot possibly be understated.

So, the Perfect Movies list (in alphabetical order):

12 Angry Men (1957)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
All About Eve (1950)
Annie Hall (1977)
The Apartment (1960)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Casablanca (1942)
Chinatown (1974)
Citizen Kane (1941)
City Lights (1931)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
The General (1927)
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather, Part II (1974)
Gone With the Wind (1939)
The Graduate (1967)
It Happened One Night (1934)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Jaws (1975)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
M*A*S*H (1970)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Network (1976)
On the Waterfront (1954)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Psycho (1960)
Raging Bull (1980)
Rear Window (1954)
Rocky (1976)
Schindler's List (1993)
The Searchers (1956)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Star Wars (1977)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Vertigo (1958)


Next, I guess would be 'Great Movies.' These are the movies that should also not be ignored. They probably rank around a 4.5/5 rating, and definitely not below a 4/5. There are two reasons a movie may fall here. The first is that while some of these movies are loved by a majority of movie historians/film critics, they just don't hit me like the best of them. I understand why some of these movies are great, and while I learned things from watching them, they just don't do it for me. The second reason may just be that the movie is very solid (i.e. 'King Kong'), but I mean it's still maybe only a 9/10. It doesn't have that little extra thing that separates goodness from greatness.

Here's the Great Movies list:

All the President's Men (1976)
The African Queen (1951)
Ben-Hur (1959)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Duck Soup (1933)
Easy Rider (1969)
E.T. -- The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
The French Connection (1971)
The Gold Rush (1925)
Goodfellas (1990)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
High Noon (1952)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Intolerance (1916)
King Kong (1933)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Modern Times (1936)
Nashville (1975)
North by Northwest (1959)
Platoon (1986)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Shane (1953)
Sophie's Choice (1982)
The Sound of Music (1965)
Sunrise (1927)
Swing Time (1936)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Titanic (1997)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Tootsie (1982)
Toy Story (1995)
Unforgiven (1992)
West Side Story (1961)
The Wild Bunch (1969)

And last, I'll have the 'Other List.' This list will be movies that I either did not enjoy at all, I don't think were very culturally important (or, were done better in other ways in other movies), or I think should just be completely off the list. And if those three aren't enough, it may be that I am annoyed these movies are on the list, but great movies like 'Amadeus' and 'Fargo' were cut. So here's the Other List:

American Graffiti (1973)
Blade Runner (1982)
Cabaret (1972)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Forrest Gump (1994)
The Last Picture Show (1971)
A Night at the Opera (1935)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Spartacus (1960)
Sullivan's Travels (1941)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)


These lists are really hard, as I was saying. I know some people who would kill me for having 'High Noon' and 'Taxi Driver' and 'Lawrence of Arabia' not under perfection. But what's the point in making a list like this if I'm not completely honest? I can go around all day telling you why 'The Grapes of Wrath' was a great movie, but if I don't love it, why should I pretend to?

Yet on the other hand, I really enjoy watching 'All the President's Men' and 'Butch Cassidy' and 'Pulp Fiction,' but I would feel like I'm toying with my standards if I grouped them with 'Some Like It Hot.'

And it's hard to clump everything into three groups like this. Of course I love 'All About Eve' a lot more than '12 Angry Men,' and while 'Eve' is probably the better movie, they're both great and enjoyable. Hell, I liked 'Swing Time' more than 'The Searchers,' but I know 'Swing Time' isn't the better movie.

But with that said, I also can't help somewhat contradicting myself. If I had to pick only ten from this list to be a 'Top 10,' in alphabetical order, they would be...

All About Eve
Annie Hall
The Apartment
Casablanca
Citizen Kane
Dr. Strangelove
The Godfather
It's a Wonderful Life
Psycho
The Wizard of Oz

There. There it is. Be happy.

Honestly, I recommend everyone tries to see at least half the AFI list. You'll learn so much and be entertained. What can be better than that?

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Earlier I was at the bookstore on campus, and since I'd been drinking coffee I had to use the restroom. So I go to the hallway and pass the women's room, which has a sign on the door. It said something along the lines of "Please no merchandise beyond this point!" etc. etc.

Then I get to the men's room, which did not have any sign about merchandise or anything.

What does this mean? It shows that women are more likely to steal, and as such are not trusted to bring merchandise into a private area.

Don't try to argue this. It's scientific fact.

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So at Wal Mart they had Match Point on DVD, new, for $3.98. I didn't know anything was cheaper than the $5 bin. There were also a bunch of other DVDs, but I either had them already (Catch Me If You Can), didn't really need them (Mission: Impossible III), or were they were really bad (Yours, Mine, and Ours).

But then today at Blockbuster they had some 4-for-$20 on previously viewed DVDs. Why not, they work perfect? So I got Children of Men and Casino Royale while my friend got The Pursuit of Happyness and Hollywoodland. So all in all, a sweet DVD-buying splurge for me.

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I know I've been slacking. I'm a bit tired but here are a few mini-reviews because I want to.

Love Me If You Dare

A French movie that I recently watched off a recommendation. An interesting concept of kids obsessed with a game of dare, in which the other cannot refuse. They take turns, and the story begins with things such as cursing in class and peeing their pants as kids, but evolves into things such as saying 'No' at their wedding or avoiding each other for ten years.

Now, the two main characters love each other, we see this. They share an uncommon bond, this desire to live dangerously and have momentary power over each other completely. But the problem is that it stretches a little too far for believability, and not far enough to push surrealism. I can't imagine any real person wishing to put themselves through so much anguish, and while the movie was enjoyable, ultimately a bit of a letdown.

Rating: 4/7

2 Days in Paris

I love a good romantic comedy, even the most formulaic of them. But here we get a romantic comedy with a nice mix of quirky mannerisms and some vulgar humor. A great mix for me, personally.

Marion and Jack are in a long relationship, and after somewhat of a European tour, they decide to spend the last two days in Paris, where Marion grew up. They stay in a bedroom above Marion's parents, and throughout the story Jack meets a lot of Marion's friends, and ex-lovers. Naturally it irks him that she has so many old flames around this town, as it would most people.

Where the movie succeeds is in Marion (played by writer/director Julie Delpy), who while not being perfect, is perfectly lovable. At one point she has an emotional breakdown because she reads women use twice as much toilet paper as men since they wipe when they pee, and that means they kill more trees. Whereas Jack can't sleep so he stays up at nights watching 'M' on his laptop.

The movie ended a little too quick for me, but still has one great last line that I won't ruin by quoting.

Rating: 6/7

Eastern Promises

I love the end of the year because that's when all the 'artsy' movies come out. Eastern Promises is really the first of the season -- or at least that I've seen.

This is the story of the Russian mafia in London. The story of a nurse who finds a journal of a woman who died in childbirth. And how the child and journal bring her into contact with the Russians.

I'm not going to spoil because to reveal much more than I said above would ruin the threading of the movie, how it plays out so craftily that it seems like clockwork.

Again, a problem with this movie I have is the ending. There is an inconclusiveness that seemed a bit too open-ended for me. This movie could have been 150 hours instead of 100 minutes, but the team made a decision. Let's just say I would've liked 50 more minutes.

Either way though, still a great movie all around and this is one of my first recommendations of the season.

Rating: 6.5/7

The Game Plan

Okay, I saw this for free.

First, we've all seen this formula a thousand times and all know how it's going to end.

Secondly, 110 minutes? Seriously? Oh, and an agonizing 110 minutes it was. But I have to say, honestly, if the movie had been 90 minutes it could've been decent.

My last major gripe is that for an eight year-old the kid was way, way too smart. Even a gifted precocious kid couldn't have made some of those jokes.

I never thought I would say this, but... even Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock") couldn't save this movie. But he was easily the best part. I'm eagerly waiting for 'Southland Tales' where we can possibly see him outside of his stereotype. We'll see.

Rating: 2/7

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Since I haven't done a post in a while, here's something moderately big. I'll call it a '4th Quarter Preview,' though it will partially encompass the end of September. These are movies you should keep an eye on and why you should do so. This is partially geared toward Oscar-worthy movies, or generally 'artsy' movies. I love when the summer blockbuster season comes to an end.

September 14th

Eastern Promises - Trailer

A gangster flick with Viggo Mortenson and the beautiful Naomi Watts. Also, David Cronenberg has made some good movies, plus it's getting great early reviews.

In the Valley of Elah - Trailer

I have no real desire to see this one, but the last few years Paul Haggis has been a big name in the Oscar business (writer: Million Dollar Baby, Crash, Letters from Iwo Jima), so I can't ignore it. Also Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron. IMDb plot outline: "A career officer (Jones) and his wife (Sarandon) work with a police detective (Theron) to uncover the truth behind their son's disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq."

September 21st

Into the Wild - Trailer

Another one I'm not rushing to see, but Sean Penn directs and there was some great buzz from the film festivals.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - Trailer

Maybe my favorite so far. Brad Pitt seems to be straying into some uncharted waters the last few years, taking serious roles in movies that look good. Could be good. As with almost all movies on this list, good early buzz.

Lust, Caution - Trailer

I posted about this before, but here it is. Ang Lee's next directorial effort, and it looks intense/seductive/coy enough to be worthwhile.

September 29th

The Darjeeling Limited

Owen/Luke Wilson. Wes Anderson. Can't go wrong. Though I haven't heard anything about this movie yet.

October 12th

Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Trailer

I really love Cate Blanchett, even if she's played Elizabeth in like 50 different movies. The other 'Elizabeth' movie was all right. This one looks a lot better.

November 2nd

American Gangster - Trailer

Also posted about this one before. I'm pretty excited and sad that it's so far away. Even though Russell Crowe is an enormous asshole, he's still a good actor. Denzel is always good. Plus Ridley Scott. Best line-up yet? I think so.

November 9th

No Country for Old Men - Trailer

The Coen brothers, even at their worst, still make good movies. I'm so excited for this one since it looks like Fargo goes out West. I want to give this a 10/10 without seeing it. Also great early reviews.

Lions for Lambs - Trailer

Robert Redford has done some decent directing before (obvious understatement), and this time we have Meryl Streep. Tom Cruise, well... maybe he's back in good form. Wait for reviews on this one.

November 16th

Beowulf - Trailer

Doubt it'll be too great, but the special effects should be pretty solid. I'm going to see it unless it bombs with early reviews.

I'm Not There - Trailer

Doubt I'll see this one, but obviously all Bob Dylan fans will. Plus I think it's hilarious/awesome that Cate Blanchett is one of the six actors portraying him.

Margot at the Wedding - Trailer

After some success on his own, Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) is out front again. This time he has Nicole Kidman, who can hopefully nullify the awfulness of Jack Black. We'll see.

Atonement - Trailer

Don't know how I feel about this one, but early reviews are all raves. James McAvoy praise, and Keira Knightly isn't bad either.

November 30th

Cassandra's Dream

New Woody Allen movie. Always worth seeing, cause even bad Woody Allen is still pretty good.

December 14th

Youth Without Youth

Coming out of what may have been a retirement, Francis Ford Coppola is making a new movie about a man who finds a way to restore his youth. I have no doubt that this will be at least somewhat of a hit, even if it's for the indie crowds. But I mean it's Coppola, so it can't be too indie.

December 21st

Sweeney Todd

I'm actually really excited for this one. Tim Burton doing a musical? That's live action? No way. Of course it has Johnny Depp and HBC, but whatever. Unless he butchers the original material I see good things.

December 25th

Charlie Wilson's War

Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Amy Adams, and Mike Nichols directing. I don't know too much about this one, but I'm sure it will be a flick to watch.

December 26th

There Will be Blood - Trailer

Oil and war seem to be the popular topics in today's film. Paul Thomas Anderson, of Magnolia and Boogie Nights fame, comes again with a new flick. The trailer didn't strike me too well (wow that pun was amazing), but we'll see.


I think I hit all the main movies for this Oscar season. I'll edit this later if I missed one, or let me know.

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It's been a while so I feel obligated to post something. I've been pretty busy.

I've hit 90 movies on my quest to see all of AFI's 100 Movies. Getting close.

Also been writing quite a bit and forming plot ideas in my head. Not reading as much as I need to, but hey, whatever....

Yesterday I watched Swing Time, which was great. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are about as good as it gets. But then today in my History of Motion Pictures class we watched Singin' in the Rain, so now I'm really uppity and want to dance everywhere I go. Of course that won't happen outside the privacy of my own home, but it's fun to think about.

I ordered Purple Rose of Cairo online today because I couldn't find it anywhere. I also need to buy, Match Point, It Happened One Night, Children of Men, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and 2001. If only I was rich.

Marlon Brando is the greatest actor of all time, but Jimmy Stewart is still my favorite.

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A little treasure from Canada... Away From Her, which may sound unknown to most, is a film written and directed by Sarah Polley, whom most may know as 'the hot main blonde chick from Dawn of the Dead.' And even more annoying is I've been wanting to see it for a while, but it didn't come to Orlando or Ft. Walton Beach. So I forgot about it, then when seeing Ocean's Thirteen again at a terrible dollar theater, I see Away From Her is playing there. So tonight I was back at the ghetto theater.

This is not an easy movie to watch, the subject matter being the effects of Alzheimer's. An old couple of about sixty, Fiona and Grant Anderson, are in their little cabin in Canada. We get glimpses of the difficulty they have when Fiona washes a skillet, then absently opens the freezer, places it in there, and goes to the next room. Grant watches her in despair, then replaces the skillet under the sink, where all the pots go.

As the plot moves, the dilemma arises of putting Fiona in a nursing home, or trying to care for her himself. Relationships form between a sympathetic staff member and Grant, as with Fiona and other patients. But as time goes on, Fiona forgets who her husband is and becomes more attached to her new friends. But then her memory comes and goes. That's one of the most depressing parts, that one day Fiona is fine and knows what's going on, and the next, 'up in the clouds.'

This would sound like a teen drama, maybe Mean Girls, if it wasn't dealing with specific subject matter in such a delicate way that even a scene where Grant talks to a goth-rocker-teenage girl we get some understanding.

Okay, lost my train of thought. I really want to rant about another movie, so...

6.5/7

Tonight I caught a midnight showing of Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween. My God, what a travesty.

Making this movie experience even worse, I watched the original just before going to the theater. The original is great -- a classic. John Carpenter created a template for countless future horror flicks (some good, a lot not).

To begin with, Rob Zombie's remake spends an excessive amount of time on the childhood years. First he gives us an assortment of cliches and white trash language that is funny, I guess, if you laugh at a drunk man calling his wife a 'bitch' and telling her to 'do the God damn dishes.' We then see Michael Meyers, 10, get picked on a little at school. That's not overdone either... So after school he beats the kid to a pulp, then that night kills his step-dad, sister, sister's boyfriend, and for some reason leaves his baby sister alone. Mom finds the horror.

So essentially after wasting the first twenty minutes, we arrive at the same exact conclusion we got in the John Carpenter version after the first scene. I thought less was more? Apparently not for Rob Zombie.

So we, the audience, suffers so long through watching Michael in prison that I was about to fall asleep, then there's one of the most ridiculous jail escapes I've ever seen. Later his ability to break chains is slyly explained with him being able to lift half a ton by himself. Okay.

After an hour of these shenanigans, the plot follows the original for a while, with some of the same casualties in some of the same places. Obviously there's more boobs and blood and gore, because subtlety and finesse are nonexistent here. Rob Zombie only cares about trying to cram as much R rated material into each scene as possible. Ever notice how in the original characters who have sex die, and the one(s) who don't live? It's even made fun of in 'Scream.' Well, it's true, and that point was a nice find in the original if you paid attention. Here it's thrown at us so hard I don't want to even see a girl in a bathing suit unless I have a loaded revolver. With at least four shots, since Michael can take numerous bullets.

I say this with trouble, but one thing that improved a bit was the ending action scenes. Not the ending. Not any other part of the movie. I just liked having a moderately long chase scene, since it's, you know, a horror movie. But again, not near enough reason to see it.

I only saw this movie because of my love for the original, and I can safely say that John Carpenter, regardless of how the rest of his career turned out, will always be a better writer/director than Rob Zombie.

Rating: 0.5/7

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A few sweet movie trailers.



Looks like they're pushing the Oscar angle hard, but why not? Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Ridley Scott, Steven Zaillian. Should be a good flick.



French subtitles are a bit annoying, but... Woody Allen might be back in good form now.



Not the most informative trailer, but Ang Lee could have another hit on his hands.

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