decades best - 1930's

easily one of the most underrated gangster films ever made. rarely listed amung the classics, this picture see's a young bogart and a young cagney go head to head in a match of criminal thinking. o'brien is very good as the priest, and the dichotomy that is built between his character and cagneys is powerful. two friends with everything in common go in opposite directions because of a single moment in their lives, and they couldnt have ended up more different. the acting was great and the moral commentary was carried out perfectly. this was a profound story, admitting that although this life is made easier by dishonest living, that still doesnt make it right. bearing many similarities to two other films, white heat and on the waterfront, this will be a film i rewatch every few years.

the grandfather of all gangster films. the gold standard and one of the greatest films ever made, this film is everything that a gangster picture should be. haunting for its time, the original scarface puts the depalma version to shame and shows us what the gritty world of 1930's depression era crime was like. masterpiece.

easily one of hitchcocks best films, this is also one of the greatest films ever made. incredible photography, a perfectly crafted and haunting script, a brilliantly chosen cast, and a well thought out plot. there were no holes and the entire film was perfectly executed. to be honest, i was nervous the first 30 minutes, and then the last hour was one of the most mind blowing and engaging hours of film that i have ever seen. a perfect masterpiece.

absolutely chilling. one of the greatest war masterpieces of all time. this is the film that did the most for getting me to hate war. while i understand war and feel that it is sometimes necessary to use force to fight evil that rejects the use of reason, i still hate war, and this is the most moving anti-war film ever made. nearly 80 years since its release it holds up incredibly well. the acting is a little weak at points, but the war scenes are haunting and the psychological effect of war on those that participate in it is presented powerfully. one of the great films of all time.

the original cinema classic in all its glory, one of my favorite films. i happen to be a believer that the two remakes of this iconic film were fine films that did this justice, but niether of them beats the king. the effects for 1933 were well done and this is just a really fun film to watch. the end scene gets me in each incarnation of this film. while the others create kong as a sypathetic character, this film sort of portrays kong and humanity as possessing equality in their villiany. a wonderful movie.

deserving of its sweep of the big 5 oscars, this is one of the first and still one of the best great romantic comedies. the hitch-hiking scene was perfect and the acting and screenplay especially stand out. truly great piece of cinematic history.

often considered the best of the astaire/rogers films, swing time deserves its acclaim. the musical numbers are perfectly spaced and the actors did their part to create a wonderful film with a charming story. rogers is beautiful in this film and astaire proves why he and kelly rival each other for the top spot among musical song and dance men. great film.

ive always believed that striking images and effective facial expressions from actors was far more important in silent films than the story, but ozu brings us this silent classic where he uses effective performers, creates some of the most beutiful images ive ever seen in any film silent or not, and tells a near perfect story to bring the best of all worlds together so that we get one of the best silent pictures ever made. nearly as good as ozu's remake 25 years later, this story is authentic but passionate and convicting. easily one of the darkest films of ozu's career, the film is also beautiful to consider despite the folly and depravity of some of its characters. a must see.

one of the first and still one of the best psychological thrillers ever made. peter lorre was haunting in his role as a child murderer and getting into the mind of a killer was disturbing but profound. the vigilante crew was brilliant, and this film paints a stunning picture of what a city goes through when it is gripped by the fear of a monster on the loose. a must watch for all movie fans.

one of the true classics in film history. this film deserves its high score for its critical and cultural significance if for nothing else, but it has other things going for it. it has great acting, a great score, and epic cinematography. however, i do feel that the story was not interesting enough to justify its 4 hour length and the main character of scarlet ohara is among the most annoying in film history. she becomes entangled in what feels like a love octogon, and is trapped in a world of the deepest sort of narcicism. despite my mis-feelings about it, it is one of the most important films of all time.

another gangster classic that delivers. cagney was great as eddie bartlett and bogart plays a very convincing villian. although the film skips through the process of barletts rise to prominence, the story still flows well and satisfies as a rise and fall gangster story. great film.

featuring one of the great macguffin's of hitchcocks career, the 39 steps is a great 1930's thriller. aside from the silliness of the all too simple getaways of the main character, the film holds in suspense as we await the identity of the 39 steps. a classic.

often considered the greatest film by the legendary charlie chaplin, city lights is a beautiful love story with tons of charm. although it drags a bit at the start, the story picks up and gets better and better as time goes on, providing a poetic ending with a bit of a twist. no one can deny chaplins genius, and this film is a great display of some of his most witty comedy. an all time classic.

without question snow white deserves a ton of respect for being the first great animated film, and more than that, for being really good. having said that i think that its status is a bit over played as people seem to forget how shallow the film is. even disney's next couple of films had deeply moving messages, while snow white was more of the classic fairytale in its most generic form. a monumental film that is larger than life, but should be seen as more of a stepping stone than one of the best animated films.

a very diologue driven gangster picture that delivers. the acting was very good and the story well told despite the fact that it was incredibly simple. the entire film essentially takes place on a single set and no "event" really takes place throughout the film, but the diologue was poetic. i just had a really good time watching people talk for 80 minutes, and the fate of these well planned characters really mattered to me. great movie.