AFI Greatest Movies

Awesome hard-edged Billy Wilder flick, cynical as hell, with great dialogue. Kirk Douglas chews through every bit of scenery. Sadly, over 50 years later, the story is every bit as relevant as it was when it was made. Thousands of people camp outside the mine, the level of absurdity getting so bad that a carnival comes in replete with a Ferris wheel, all while Douglas' character Tatum milks the miner's tragedy for all its worth. Like "Network", this one's a scathing indictment not just on the field of journalism, but on all of us who consume its sensationalism. In an age where Britney Spears' custody battles and Lindsay Lohan's trips to rehab are considered "news", this one hits right on the money.

One of my all-time favorites. It really is amazing just how great this movie is. Every time I watch it, it astounds me just how many great lines there are in this and how many of them have since been woven into the fabric of everyday speech even now. You can't go wrong with a love story involving Nazis and Humphrey Bogart. Bergman is radiant, Bogart is at his Bogartest, Sydney Greenstreet is corpulentastic, Peter Lorre is weaselriffic, and my favorite, Claude Rains, is Vichy-wunderbar. A great date movie, a great World War II flick, a great movie for aspiring screenwriters to study, just a great movie!

I think I missed something. It's a decent enough story, I guess, but dry as a bone. The whole time I was watching this, I kept asking myself "How in the heck did this win Best Picture?" The characters are underdeveloped, some of the acting is noticeably cringe-inducing, and some of the dialogue is eye-rollingly bad. Case in point, before the big race with Liddle, Brad Davis' character comes onscreen to talk to a fellow American runner who says something like "Coach said not to worry about him" Davis says something like "He's got something to prove. Coach will never understand guys like that." And then he walks off again. Just lame character development, especially for a movie that's so highly lauded. I will be forever mystified why people think this movie is so amazing. I just don't get it.

What a great movie! Having watched "Greed" last weekend, this was the antithesis of it. Where "Greed" was cynical and bleak, "The Crowd" is hopeful and triumphant. While made nearly 80 years ago, the story holds up unbelievably well. The relationship between Johnny and Mary is as authentic if not more so than many screen couplings today. It's a pretty basic story, boy meets girl, they get married, have kids, struggle with tragedy and finances and everything a typical family still struggles with today. And it's all done with a perfect blend of humor and drama. I've been pretty reluctant to watch silent dramas as many that I've seen have been a bit too over the top, but having seen two amazing ones in a row, I'm happily surprised to find such cinematic treats!

Maybe I'm missing something, and I must be judging by the raves by the other reviewers, but I just couldn't get into this movie. Mostly it was the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Dodsworth. None of it gelled. I knew as soon as she accused David Niven of assaulting her, and Dodsworth's only reaction was "Well, you probably asked for it", that it was going to take a lot for me to suspend my disbelief regarding their relationship. And it didn't improve. Dodsworth should have dropped her like a hot potato within 30 minutes of the movie, but I suppose that wouldn't have been much of a film. As it is, I found no pleasure in watching the story of a boring cuckold and his annoying, philandering wife. Not to mention Mary Astor's lack of self-respect when Dodsworth makes his initial decision at the end. By an standard, whether it be 1936 or 2006, these characters just weren't believable.

I typically shy away from silent dramas. Silent comedies tend to translate well to a "modern sensibility", but in my experience, it's generally not the case for dramas. Too much overacting for me to really immerse myself in the story. But "Greed" is a rare exeption, and is in fact one of the better movies I've seen. Von Stroheim is a masterful director, getting the most out of both his actors and his locations. Gibson Gowland is fascinating to watch; his physical power leaps off the screen, and he has a fascinating, expressive face. At over two hours (cut down from an original nine), the story never slowed, and the ending was good and bleak. Highly, highly recommended.

God, I love this movie! It never fails to reduce me to a blubbering idiot several times throughout the movie, and by the time we hit the finale in the Bailey living room, I'm a wreck. George and Mary Bailey are the perfect screen couple, not sickeningly cute, with a small wry streak but basically two decent people who are perfect for each other. It's sentimental, but never really sappy, mostly because Stewart's portrayal of George Bailey has a bit of a dark streak in him. He gets angry, he lashes out, he can be bitter about his life. In short, he's a good ol' American human being, and it's that performance that anchors this one in enough reality to keep this from being eye-rollingly sappy. A truly timeless classic; in my humble opinion, one of the best movies ever made.

Whew. Talk about exhaustive. Absolutely gorgeous movie. The scenes of the emperor as a young boy really feel like they take place in another world. There was so much attention to detail here that I felt kept at an emotional distance from the main characters, but regardless, it still definitely deserved all the awards it got. The story is a fascinating one, watching a boy go from ruling a kingdom to merely a tourist at his own palace. The final scene really brought out the significance (and also, contrastedly, insignificance) of the last emperor's life. I wouldn't watch it for the emotional impact, but for the amazing production itself. And take a bathroom back. Kidneys weren't made for 3 1/2 hour epics.

Decent melodrama/noir flick, but in my opinion, there were at least two more people who should have gotten pumped full of lead besides Mildred's second husband (don't worry, I'm not giving anything away). The main reason to watch this one is Eve Arden. She's a cynical, wise-cracking dame who got a chuckle out of me every time she was on screen. It was a nice contrast to the wolves, dishrags, and other assorted unpleasant characters who rounded out the story.

Breaks my heart every time I watch it. One of my favorite musicals, and also just one of my favorite movies. It's worth it just for the visuals alone, but the musical numbers are wonderful and seriously, what a flippin' great cast! Nicole Kidman is beautiful, always love to watch Ewan McGregor, but it's Jim Broadbent who's my absolute favorite. He's just so. . .expansive. David Wenham is actually really great as well as the couple's barrier to happiness. The scene where he sings "It's a little bit funny" still cracks me up. Excellent date movie, even if the date is just with your cats.

The film that started my unhealthy obsession with stories involving dead people trying to eat living human flesh. To be fair, though, it also turned me on to how great ultra-low-budget movies can be, paving the way for my enjoyment of flicks like "Shadows" and "Killer of Sheep". This really is a great movie. The gore aside, it's just a well-done story. Rather than just using the zombies vs humans as the conflict, Romero makes the real tension happen between those trapped in the isolated farmhouse, between Duane Jones and Karl Hardman, between Karl Hardman and Marilyn Eastman, between Judith O'Dea and her own sanity. And even larger than that, Romero uses a cheaply made horror flick to comment on the state of race relations in the United States. Using Jones as the hero was a pretty bold move for Romero, as was the ending. Seen with his other movies, the "Dead" series, like the "Body Snatchers" movies, are great barometers of the American psyche at any given time. If you can, watch it with the original score. There've been several attempts to "improve" it, but can't beat the original.

inTENSE! Any time you get Ruby Dee, Sidney Poitier, and Louis Gossett, Jr. in the same room together, watch out. This was just mesmerising to watch; there was an energy coursing through every scene and every actor/actress that kept you riveted to the screen, which is especially impressive since the majority of the film takes place in one room of the family's small apartment. For all intents and purposes, you are basically watching a stage play, and that immediacy comes through loud and clear. Strikingly ahead of its time, with discussions of feminism, abortion, and equal rights, this is a must-see powerhouse of a drama.

"Sherlock, Jr.", on the other hand, is not only hilarious but brilliant filmmaking. The scene where Buster gets trapped inside a movie showing at the theater is technically amazing and shows that Keaton had a wonderful grasp on the magic of what film can do. Beyond that, the various comedy bits are still funny after all this time, and Keaton's sense of timing is physically breathtaking. This would be a great introduction to anyone not familiar with how wonderful (and funny) silent comedies can be.

Yay! My favorite musical ever! It just makes you happy every time you watch it. The songs are all great, the numbers are all great, it's got genuinely funny laughs, the cast is awesome (Debbie Reynolds is so damn cute!), it's just a wonderful movie. On top of that, when you consider that the writers for this were basically just told to write a movie around a bunch of songs from the 1920's, the fact that they came up with such a clever story just makes me appreciate it that much more. What a glorious feeling indeed!

Beautiful, bleak, haunting, and uplifting. It's really exciting to watch a silent film in its earlier stages directed by an auteur who really understands the visual power of cinema. This is one of the best silent films I've seen. There are few title cards, proof how well Murnau knew how to tell a story visually, and those title cards that are there are as stylized as much of the rest of the movie (the title card where O'Brien's mistress suggests drowning his wife is particularly effective). The story itself is simple and wonderful, a tale of lust, love and redemption. There are so many striking visuals in this movie, it really is amazing. The scene of O'Brien agonizing over his decision in his bedroom, images of his mistress squeezing and tempting him, the sight of bulrushes on water, the marvelous shots of the city: this is truly a work of art. And there is some great humor in this as well, to balance out some pretty dark themes, including drunken pigs and unruly shoulder straps. Wonderful film and highly recommended!