My
100 Favorite Movies
This list is perfect counter programming to all the heavy-handed malevolent, irrational left-wing Hollywood flapdoodle we usually see.
The synopsis reviews are taken from Rotten Tomatoessm a dependable resource for an objective coverage of movies found at http://www.rottentomatoes.com/
Historical
Drama
Zulu (1964) based on actual events, this film takes place in 1879 at Africa's
Roarke's Drift, a military post occupied by 97 British soldiers. The Englishmen
receive word that they are about to be besieged by 4,000 Zulu warriors armed
with spears and rifles. The soldiers stay and fight the warriors; desperately
using everything they can find to withstand the onslaught.
55 Days at Peking (1963) This historical epic with an
all-star cast, set in China in 1900, focuses on the infamous Boxer Rebellion.
During these riots a group of Chinese, opposed to the presence of foreigners on
their soil, attacked the embassies of countries they felt had exploited China
by swallowing up and controlling its commercial markets. For 55 days, a few
hundred officials from western countries like Great Britain, France, Germany,
and the U.S. struggled against an onslaught of over 130,000 Chinese warriors.
The Robe
(1953) One of the best Biblical epics of all time,
based on a best-selling novel by Lloyd C. Douglas. It tells the story of Roman,
who was in charge of the Crucifixion of Christ and who later is converted to
Christianity. The Robe was the first movie to be filmed in CinemaScope.
Khartoum (1966) this epic historical film chronicles the true
story of Sir Charles Gordon, a gallant British general during the 1880s,
defending the Sudanese city of Khartoum against The
Mahdi. Presented in the
Cinerama format.
F
Ben Hur (1959) an epic Biblical tale, "Ben-Hur" depicts the life of Judas Ben-Hur, a
Jewish prince residing in Jerusalem, and his transformation from benevolent
townsman to agitated aggressor to a man of God.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) no doubt, "Lawrence of Arabia" is one of the screen’s great classics. It is the biography of the enigmatic T.E.
Lawrence and paints a complex portrait of the desert-loving Englishman who
united Arab tribes in battle against the Ottoman Turks during WWI.
Doctor
Zhivago
(1965) is an exploration of the Russian Revolution as seen from the point of
view of the intellectual, introspective title character. As the political
landscape changes, and the Czarist regime comes to an end, Dr. Zhivago's
relationships reflect the political turmoil raging about him.
Captain Blood (1935) in a classic swashbuckling epic Dr. Peter
Blood, an English physician unjustly convicted of treason is sentenced to
slavery in the West Indies, escapes and soon
becomes a feared pirate.
Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) is one of the greatest, most colorful costume dramas, swashbucklers, and romantically-tinged adventure films in film history.
Westerns
Hondo (1953) based
on a Louis L´Amour story, John Wayne stars as a tough cavalry scout who
encounters a widow and her son, living alone in dangerous Apache territory.
Unforgiven (1992) in Clint
Eastwood's acclaimed Western, Little Bill Daggett, a sadistic, dictatorial
sheriff, enforces gun control on a tiny frontier town, doling out his own brand
of due process as he sees fit. When he denies justice to the prostitutes of the
town brothel, one of whom has been slashed by a client, the women hire Bill
Munny, a reformed gunslinger, to gain vengeance. However, Munny must contend
with his new moral code in the face of revisiting the life he left behind.
Dances With Wolves (1990) In 1865, Civil War hero Lt. John Dunbar asks to be reassigned to the western frontier before it disappears. At his isolated post he develops a relationship with the peaceful Lakota Sioux and a white woman who lives among them, finding greater kinship with them than with his own people.
Stagecoach
(1939) Regarded by many
as the best Western ever made, Stagecoach shot John Wayne to stardom and
elevated the prestige of a genre that had hitherto been considered a B-movie
province.
How The West Was Won (1962) an epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to the end of the century, as seen through the eyes of one pioneer family. Presented in the Cinerama format.
Hombre (1967) a white man, raised by Apaches, goes out into
the real world and finds a purpose in defending a stagecoach from an ambush by
a gang of thugs.
The Shootist
(1976) John Wayne, in his
last film appearance, stars as famed gunfighter J.J. Brooks. The film is a fitting and melancholy farewell
to The Duke.
The Wild Bunch (1969) a gritty western film with an uncompromising style.
The Magnificent Seven (1960) one of the most popular Westerns of
all time, has become an influential film in its own right
Crime Drama
The Godfather (1972) is an insightful sociological study of violence, power, honor and obligation, corruption, justice and crime in America. A masterpiece!
Double Indemnity (1944) a classic film with
a familiar brew of lust, larceny, and lethal intentions.
Death
Wish (1974) after his wife has
been murdered and his daughter raped by a trio of ruthless muggers, a mild-mannered
businessman becomes judge, jury and executioner when he hunts down
the criminals himself.
Made Men (1999) Bullets fly when a former made man, now in the Federal witness
protection program, fails to turn over a new leaf and gets caught stealing
$12,000,000 from the mob.
Goldfinger (1964)
is the definitive, quintessential Bond film.
Sean Connery is fantastic; Odd Job is a great villain's henchman; Goldfinger an
evil giant of a man; and Pussy Galore, what more can one say!
Witness (1985) the
story of John Book, a Philadelphia cop whose life is altered while trying to
help Rachel, an Amish woman, and her son Samuel, who witnesses a murder in a
Philadelphia train station bathroom.
The 39 Steps (1978) on vacation in
England, Canadian Richard Hannay comes into possession of information regarding
a Prussian plot to start World War I. After a spy is murdered, Hannay is blamed
by police and by spies who will do anything to get the plans back. Meanwhile,
Hannay must also stop a group of terrorists who plan to blow up Parliament.
D.O.A.
(1949) An accountant on vacation in San Francisco gets a dose of lethal,
slow-acting poison. He then begins a desperate search for the individual
responsible for his impending demise.
Eye of the Needle (1981) a vicious German
spy washes up on a small island off the British coast and is taken in by a
lonely woman whose husband was paralyzed years ago and hardly speaks to her.
Her desire for sex is immediately apparent to the equally lonely spy who
quickly seduces the wife and begins to plot his escape from the island so that
he can report back to Germany with news about the impending D-Day invasion.
L.A.
Confidential (1997) is a fast-paced and self-consciously raw film about Los Angeles in the
1950s, which shows the corruption, violence and redemption of the L.A.P.D. A
riveting crime story!
Dirty Harry (1971) Clint Eastwood
stars as Harry Callahan, a truculent San Francisco police detective well known
for his vicious take-no-prisoners attitude toward criminals. With the city of
San Francisco being terrorized by the psychotic killer known only as Scorpio,
Harry is assigned by the mayor to try to stop him.
The French Connection (1971) a
fictionalized account of how two real-life New York City narcotics cops, Eddie
Egan and Sonny Grosso, in the early sixties made the biggest drug bust in U.S.
history up until that time.
Musicals
The Sound of Music (1965) Considered by many
as one of the greatest movies ever made. The film has almost everything:
music, romance, kids, spectacular scenery, religion, sentiment, comedy, and, at
the end, intrigue and adventure.
The Music Man (1962) One of the most loving--and beloved--celebrations
of Americana ever to grace the cinema. The Music Man is about a
fast-talking con man that hoodwinks an Iowa town. The film captures the soul of
the heartland with its evocation of brass bands, barbershop quartets, and even
piano lessons.
Fantasia
2000
(1999) (IMAX) features seven animated short films set to
classical compositions. Delightful!
Grease (1978) currently the highest-grossing musical of
all-time; GREASE has made $400 million at the box office worldwide.
Nashville (1975) Robert Altman’s NASHVILLE is a unique film that
paints a detailed portrait of the people and music industry of Nashville,
Tennessee.
The King and I (1956) It is the early 1860s. An English schoolteacher is hired to provide a Western education for the children of the King of Siam. She and the King develop a deep affection for one another despite the great differences in their cultures. This film is based on the Broadway musical.
South Pacific (1958) Love blossoms on a
paradisiacal South Seas island during World War II in this splashy screen
production of the hit Broadway musical.
Topsy-Turvey (1999) After Gilbert and Sullivan's latest play fails, the team threatens to disband until they are inspired to do their masterpiece, "The Mikado." I have nothing but praise for this stunning film.
The Singing Nun (1966) Musical version of a true story about a Belgian Nun with a knack for singing and playing guitar, who eventually appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and produced an international hit song.
Romantic
Comedy
Fools Rush In (1997) Tells the funny, romantic story of fated lovers
trying their luck at the world's oldest game: love. Fools Rush In is one
of my favorite date movies.
Roman
Holiday (1953) a compelling, bittersweet, and entertaining story. How refreshing to
watch a "clean" movie with intelligent dialogue, tongue-in-cheek humor,
playfulness, and TRUE romance. It's a keeper!
My Best
Friend’s Wedding (1997)
The story revolves around the wicked machinations of Julianne
Potter, a feisty food critic determined to stop an old flame’s marriage.
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
Screenwriter John Hughes's follow-up to the classic PRETTY IN PINK
takes essentially the same story and flips the gender roles. Once again, with a
positive "follow-your-heart" moral.
Pillow
Talk (1959) took the old-fashioned
moralizing of pre-TV Hollywood and combined it with what passed for hip in
1959.Pillow Talk was
the second-largest-grossing film of the fifties.
Pretty Woman (1990) a down-on-her-luck Hollywood hooker
becomes a modern-day Eliza Doolittle in this beguiling fairy tale.
Six Days Seven Nights (1998) an inoffensive film which won't set anyone's life alight, but which will
fill an hour or two without taxing the brain too much.
While You Were Sleeping (1995) is a sweet and funny romantic fable about a lonely woman who finds the man of her dreams through a twist of fate.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) the surprise hit of 2002
is
good-hearted
and lovable.
Miss Congeniality (2000) is a delightful,
endearing comedy with a clever script and good performances, a nice, easygoing
two hours.
Science Fiction
Star Wars
(1977) I saw Star Wars on opening
day in Salt Lake City in May 1977.
There were perhaps 30 people in the theatre auditorium that night. Little did we know that Star Wars
would
have such an unprecedented impact on film.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) As an action picture, Terminator 2: Judgment Day remains right up there in the sci-fi
hall of fame.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968 ) This films influence on the science fiction genre is staggering. It was Director Stanley Kubrick’s most flawless achievement, a true classic.
Starship Troopers (1997)
an outstanding action-adventure fantasy with enough special effects wizardry
to engage most viewers.
Planet of the Apes (1968) this movie is most famous for the line "Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape."-- Taylor (Charlton Heston).
Action/Adventure (a.k.a. Guilty Pleasures)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) Arguably the best movie ever made, and far and away my personal
favorite. This allegorical tale can be enjoyed on so many levels. It’s about
two down-and-out Americans who team up with an old-time prospector in an
ill-fated gold-hunting expedition in mountainous Mexican
country. The movie features one of the most famous lines in film history:
"Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no
badges. I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!"
First Blood (1982) Vietnam vet John Rambo wages war with
an over-zealous hick, town sheriff.
Die Hard (1988) practically reinvented the action thriller. For a few hours of edge-of-your-seat entertainment, you’d be hard pressed
to do much better.
Raiders
of the Lost Ark (1981) Spielberg’s and Lucas’s collaborative rip-roaring
adventure story with a hero of epic proportions make this film one of the best
screen entertainments ever!
The
Gauntlet (1977) a none-too-swift Phoenix cop escorts
a hooker who's a witness in a corruption trial from Las Vegas to Phoenix though
hell should bar the way. Trains, bikes, cars, armor-plated buses - if it has
wheels and people can shoot at it, Clint and Sondra wind up on it.
Three
Days of the Condor (1975) a complicated plot dealing with arcane political
intrigues and subtle yet deadly techniques of manipulation and control. Yet the
film is
both entertaining and a very intelligent thriller.
North By Northwest (1959) the film's blend of suspense, romance, and mild comedy, is the quintessential Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece!
The
Flight of the Phoenix (1965) a
small plane carrying oil workers and military personnel crashes, stranding a
group of survivors in the Sahara Desert. Tense gripping adventure!
Romancing the Stone
(1984) hopeless
romantic and novelist Joan Wilder must deliver a map to Columbia in order to
save her sister's life from the hands of kidnappers. Many other evil people
want the treasure map, and inspire several adventures.
The
Naked Prey (1965) a group of white hunters on safari in Africa
manages to insult the members of a native tribe, and the warriors respond by
attacking them. After they've tortured and murdered all but one of the hunters,
the natives offer this last man a slim chance for survival. The white man is
set free and given a small lead before the tribesmen set out after him. Only
his wits and will-to-survive can save him, as he flees for his life through the
foreign jungle terrain.
The
Four Feathers (1939) at the request of his elderly mother, an army
officer resigns his commission on the eve of Britain's Sudan campaign. His
fiancée and three friends send him four white feathers as a sign that they
believe him a coward. The soldier, incognito, embarks on a dangerous quest to
save the lives of his former comrades in order to prove his bravery and heroism.
Satan
Bug, The (1965) thriller
about a scientist who makes off with a biological weapon so deadly that it could possibly set off a chain
reaction that would wipe out all life on earth.
World
War II
Battle of the Bulge (1965) an
action-packed drama about the battle that brought World War II to a close in
Europe. Presented in the Cinerama format.
Patton (1970) remains to this day one of Hollywood's most compelling biographical war pictures.
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) for
a non-documentary film, Tora! Tora! Tora! provides as much fascinating,
factual information on the event as you’re going to get.
Midway (1976) a riveting World War II drama about
the great air and naval battle in which the underdog U.S. Navy--outnumbered by
the huge Japanese flotilla--won American military supremacy in the Pacific.
Bridge Over the River Kwai (1957) the epic World War II drama loosely based on actual events of British POWs charged with constructing a bridge for the Japanese military. A war of the wills quickly ensues between the British commanding officer and the Japanese commandant of the camp, over which prisoners will be required to do manual work.
The Dirty Dozen (1967) classic World War
II action drama about a group of 12 American military prisoners assembled by
tacticians and ordered to perform a suicide mission.
Stalag
17 (1953) Black comedy and suspenseful action inside a German POW camp during World
War II.
The Great Escape (1963) the true story of a group of British, American, and Canadian POWs who executed a massive escape from Stalag Luft III in Upper Silesia in March 1944, arguably the best World War II adventure film ever made. Rousing adventure!
Christmas Movies
A
Christmas Carol (1938) this version of A Christmas Carol is
the very best. A wealthy miser learns how wonderful and fulfilling life can be
with a little generosity at Christmas time from three spectres who visit him
the night before Christmas.
White Christmas (1954) a holiday
classic. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen are a joy to
watch.
It’s a
Wonderful Life (1946) was never intended to be a holiday
movie, yet it has evolved into a Christmas classic. It was a box-office flop at the time of its release, but is now considered
one of the most popular and heartwarming films ever made
Miracle
on 34th Street (1947) A
true Christmas season classic.
Comedy
Parent Trap (1961) Two long separated
twin sisters meet unexpectedly at a summer camp where their divorced parents
sent them. Together they hatch an ingenious plot to reunite their families.
Trading
Places (1983) this is one of the best comedies of
the 1980s, featuring a cast at the height of their celebrity.
Splash (1984) a
sweet good-hearted romantic comedy.
The Sting (1973)
in the Chicago of
the 1930s, con men scam a
powerful syndicate boss.
48 Hours (1982) “…
before Nolte
was in Rehab, and Murphy was making movies like "Pluto Nash" (who can
say which fate is worse?), the two got together for a pretty decent little
buddy-cop movie…" EFILMCRITIC.COM
Beverly Hills Cop (1984) Eddie Murphy rose
to stardom as Axel Foley, a streetwise and brash young Detroit cop in this
comic blockbuster that combined frenetic action, and hysterical rough-edged
comedy.
It’s a
Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) a huge
star- studded cast performing in a funny
and energetic chase film presented in the Cinerama format.
Drama
The Petrified Forest
(1936) Insightful dialogue and skewed characters highlight
this film version of a Broadway drama about a killer and his gang who hold
hostage the staff and customers of a gas station in the middle of the desert.
Jaws (1975) the soundtrack still strikes terror in the hearts of millions. The film has some of the most memorable lines of dialogue in the history of the movies.
Ghost (1990) What makes Ghost special is the way it takes what might have been an unbearably sentimental story and turns it into a powerfully romantic drama with a humdinger of a positive message about life, death and love.
Midnight
Cowboy (1969)
is an ultra-realistic film with sordid, downbeat and
serious content. It portrays the unlikely companionship and poignant tragic
drama of two homeless, down-and-out anti-hero drifters who are powerfully
bonded together.
The
Miracle Worker (1962) This
outstanding movie is based on the true story of two of the great figures of
American history, Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan.
Cool Hand Luke (1967) is the moving character study of a non-conformist; anti-hero loner who bull headedly resists authority and the Establishment.
Marty (1955) is the poignant, simple character study of a lonely, unmarried, lovelorn
middle-aged son who still lives with his love-smothering mother.
Friendly Persuasion (1956) has sweep and majesty and pathos. It shows not just the tragedy of war,
but also the problem of pacifism, the nobility of patriotism, as well as the
love of peace.
