AFI 38 - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Welcome to my journey through the American Film Institute's top 100 movies of all time (as of 2007). I've been counting down from number 100 and will eventually get to what they consider the best movie ever made. I've agreed with some. Others I've really not liked. Keep reading to see how I felt about this one...

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

1948

Directed by John Huston

Netflix sleeve: Wrapped in a classic tale of adventure, this Academy Award winner helmed by John Huston follows a trio of gold prospectors who set out to strike it rich and agree to split the take until paranoia and greed consumes one of them. Delivering superb performances as the three miners are Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt and Walter Huston, who copped a Best Supporting Actor Oscar while son John scored statuettes for his direction and screenplay.

So, I've had this disc sitting in my room for months. And it was sitting in my room at my previous apartment for several months before that. Good thing Netflix doesn't believe in late fees. I finally remembered that it was there. And remembered that I hadn't even touched the AFI list since April. So here we go. This is a first time viewing for me. I finally got to experience the origin of the classic line, "We don't have to show you no stinking badges!" All in all, the movie is pretty good and shows just how three guys in the middle of nowhere looking for gold can go a little (or a lot) crazy.

AFI 39 - Dr. Strangelove

Welcome to my journey through the American Film Institute's top 100 movies of all time (as of 2007). I've been counting down from number 100 and will eventually get to what they consider the best movie ever made. I've agreed with some. Others I've really not liked. Keep reading to see how I felt about this one...

Dr. Strangelove

1964

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Netflix sleeve: When a fanatical U.S. general (Sterling Hayden) launches an air strike against the Soviets, they raise the stakes by threatening to unleash a "doomsday device," setting the stage for Armageddon in this classic black comedy that brilliantly skewers the nuclear age. The film's star-studded cast includes George C. Scott, Slim Pickens, James Earl Jones and Peter Sellers (who steals the show and copped an Oscar nod playing three roles).

This is one of those I kind of feel like I should have seen before now, yet I never had. Now that I've seen it, I'm glad I watched it, simply for the sake of watching it. But I wasn't really all that impressed. I mean, it's a film that is firmly settled into our pop culture. So it's constantly referenced by movies and TV shows all over the place. Particularly the scene where Slim Pickens rides the nuke like a bull at a rodeo. But I just don't think I'd put it in my personal top 100.

AFI 40 - The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music

1965

Directed by Robert Wise

Netflix sleeve: In Rodgers and Hammerstein's greatest collaboration, a feisty postulant named Maria (Julie Andrews) is sent to care for the unruly, motherless Von Trapp children. She soon tames them -- and finds herself falling for their stern father (Christopher Plummer). Oscar-winning director Robert Wise used stunning Austrian locations to transform the popular stage musical into a cinema classic in which the hills truly seemed to come alive.

Really glad this was next on the list. Because it seriously reminded me just how much I freakin' love this movie. I love the music. I love the characters. I love the humor. Such a great film. It's one that definitely belongs in the top 100. Okay, I'll give it to you, the opening scene with Julie Andrews twirling on a hilltop is a little cheesy. But that's okay because it's iconic at the same time. Best interaction in the whole movie? Gotta be the scene after the Captain introduces the kids to Maria. He's tried to teach her all the different signals with the whistle. But she doesn't want to use the whistle and argues that it's degrading. So as the Captain walks away, she whistles loudly and lets him know that he didn't teach her his signal. "You may call me Captain." Classic. Maybe you had to be there. By far the greatest of the Rodgers and Hammerstein flicks. I might go watch it again.

AFI 41 - King Kong

King Kong

1933

Directed by Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack

Netflix sleeve: Delivering action, adventure, chills and thrills, this precedent-setting monster movie tells a timeless tale of man vs. beast. While shooting in the jungle, filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) discovers an awe-inspiring marvel of nature: a 50-foot gorilla dubbed Kong. Subduing the mighty beast, the crew returns to New York with the primate, who promptly escapes, spreading mayhem and going ape for the production's leading lady (Fay Wray).

It's been a very long time since I watched this original, classic monster movie. Of course, I've seen Peter Jackson's more recent remake a handful of times. It's hard to go from having that version fresh on my mind to going back in time to see the really bad special effects. But I tried to view it through the eyes of someone who would be seeing it for the first time in 1933. Not really possible, but those effects must have been really impressive at that time. There's no denying the fact that this movie is a classic that probably broke ground in its day.

AFI 42 - Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde

1967

Directed by Arthur Penn

Netflix sleeve: Serial bank robbers, sometime lovers and folkloric heroes Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) barrel across Depression-ravaged America on a shooting spree that ends in a deadly rain of bullets and tragedy. Directed by Arthur Penn, this stylish and sexy film shattered the mold when it came to crime pictures, layering comedy onto mayhem and youthful criminality. Gene Wilder makes his big-screen debut.

Well, that was violent. I mean, I guess it wasn't that violent by today's standards. But, wow, it was kind of violent. You almost want to feel sorry for Bonnie and Clyde at the end, but really, you shouldn't. They killed a lot of people in their crime spree. Kind of a "live by the sword, die by the sword" thing. Except with guns instead of swords. I didn't think it was a bad movie. It's just not one that I'll be watching repeatedly.

AFI 43 - Midnight Cowboy

Midnight Cowboy

1969

Directed by John Schlesinger

Netflix sleeve: To earn cash as a freelance sex stud and work toward his dream of becoming a kept man, hayseed hustler Joe Buck heads to New York City, where an improbable friendship blossoms when he meets seedy con man Ratso Rizzo.

I'm gonna go ahead and say this one won't make my personal top 100. Not that it was a horrible movie. Joe seems like a naive kind of guy and Ratso kind of preys on that at first. From there it gets a little depressing. I don't think this will be a movie that I'll watch repeatedly over the coming years. In fact, this may be the only time in my life that I watch it. And I'm okay with that.

AFI 44 - The Philadelphia Story

The Philadelphia Story

1940

Directed by George Cukor

Netflix sleeve: Socialite Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) prepares to remarry, but her ex (Cary Grant) and a tabloid reporter (Best Supporting Actor Oscar-winner James Stewart) have other ideas as they converge on her home for a fateful visit. The three stars form an incomparable trio in one of the most tantalizing screwball romances ever. And under the direction of George Cukor, this once-urbane Broadway comedy springs to life with precision and wit.

Movies with a love triangle are a dime a dozen. This little film is different. It has something of a love pentagon. As confusing as that sounds, it kind of works. This particular old school rom-com has a lot of funny moments. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm not even a big fan of Katharine Hepburn. Don't think it'll make my own top 100, though.

AFI 45 - Shane

Shane

1953

Directed by George Stevens

Netflix sleeve: Amid stunning vistas, this Oscar-winning Western from director George Stevens follows a reformed gunslinger whose determination to avoid a fight is tested when greedy cattle barons threaten the community of homesteaders he's joined.

What a great classic western. The kind where you can tell the good guys from the bad guys based on the color of their hats. Also, you know the kid is crazy annoying, due to the fact that he just won't shut up with his sing-songy inflections with every thing he says! This one is from way back when Jack Palance was credited as Walter Jack Palance. He shows up on screen and you just know he's the bad guy. Not just because he's wearing black from head to toe (And really, who does that in the wild west? It's always hot!), but also because the dog in the deserted saloon walks off with its head hanging and its tail between its legs. I have to question the sound mixing on this one. When Shane shoots at a target picked out by the kid, it sounds like he's firing a bazooka. Did you know that Shane is an early debate over gun control? When Shane tells Mrs. Starrett that a "gun is as good or as bad as the man using it," she responds that "we'd all be better off if there wasn't a single gun left in this valley." I thought the whole thing was pretty good. Other than the annoying child. Seriously, every line he delivered was like nails on a chalkboard. And the movie leaves us with one of the great Hollywood mysteries, is Shane alive or dead in that final scene as he rides off into the distance? The answer probably depends on how you saw the end of Inception, does the top fall or keep spinning?

AFI 46 - It Happened One Night

It Happened One Night

1934

Directed by Frank Capra

Netflix sleeve: Runaway socialite Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) is en route to the Big Apple to elope with a fortune-hunting flyboy. Along the way she meets a crusty newspaperman (Clark Gable), who's just been sacked and--unbeknownst to Ellie--plans to sell her story to get his job back. But a string of zany misadventures leads them to realize they're madly--if reluctantly--in love. It Happened One Night swept every major Academy Award.

I haven't seen all the movies that Capra directed. But after seeing the ones that I have seen, I'm beginning to wonder if he ever made a bad one. I had actually seen this once before. A few years ago I got on a kick of wanting to see every Oscar winner for Best Picture. I started at the beginning of the Academy Awards, but didn't make it very far. I did get to 1934's It Happened One Night, though. As rom-coms go, this is a pretty good one, and follows that basic romantic comedy formula. You know, boy meets girl, boy and girl have a couple days of wacky adventures, boy and girl fall in love. You don't see a lot of romantic comedies winning a Best Picture Oscar. But there was a depression on. Maybe this kind of movie was just what the American public needed. I don't recommend every movie I see on this list, but I do recommend this one.

AFI 47 - A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire

1951

Elia Kazan

Netflix sleeve: After losing the family plantation to creditors, aging Southern belle Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) travels to New Orleans seeking solace in her sister, Stella (Kim Hunter). Instead, she goes toe-to-toe with Stella's brute of a husband, Stanley (Marlon Brando). Leigh, Hunter and Karl Malden all took home Oscars for their work in this sizzling adaptation of Tennessee Williams's classic rumination on carnal attraction and faded gentility.

This is one on the list that I'd never seen before. I'm not sure that I've ever had a desire to see it either. I don't know why I've felt that way. This is supposed to be a classic. It's supposed to have Brando and Leigh in two of their most iconic roles. Guess it just didn't do much for me.

AFI 48 - Rear Window

Rear Window

1954

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Netflix sleeve: As his broken leg heals, wheelchair-bound L.B. Jefferies (James Stewart) becomes absorbed with the parade of life outside his window and soon fixates on a mysterious man whose behavior has Jefferies convinced a murder has taken place. Meanwhile, other windows reveal the daily lives of a dancer, a lonely woman, a composer, a dog and more. Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter and Wendell Corey co-star in this Alfred Hitchcok-helmed classic.

This is, by far, my favorite Hitchcock film. James Stewart is one of my favorite actors. Grace Kelly is flippin' gorgeous. And it's a story about a guy who's obsessed with people watching. I can identify with that. I love watching people. It's not an obsession, I just think people are interesting. It's fun to be out in public and imagine what kind of stories a random individual my have. Hitchcock exploits that idea as Stewart's character watches his neighbors through their windows. Of course, the Hitchcock twist is that one of those neighbors is hiding something sinister behind his venetian blinds. The only thing I can't wrap my brain around is why Stewart's character would even consider breaking up with his girlfriend, as we see him thinking about at the start of the picture. She's Grace Kelly, dude! She's a real-life freakin' princess!

AFI 49 - Intolerance

Intolerance

1916

Directed by D.W. Griffith

Netflix sleeve: Many film historians hail director D.W. Griffith's monumental epic as one of the greatest movies ever committed to celluloid. Griffith powerfully interlaces four parallel tales linked by a recurring shot of Lillian Gish symbolically rocking the cradle of civilization. The stories, which span two millennia, collectively illustrate how intolerance has played a pernicious role in such historic events as Christ's crucifixion and the fall of Babylon.

That movie was some kind of crazy long. It kind of hurts my head thinking about the whole thing. Be warned, if you're gonna watch this movie, it's got to be because you really want to see it. It's got to be because you want to watch a complicated story that constantly cuts back and forth between four different time periods. It's also got to be because you have an extra 3 hours and 14 minutes to spare that you're not planning on using for anything else. Ever. Because you won't get that time back. Ever. I didn't care for it.

AFI 50 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

2001

Directed by Peter Jackson

Netflix sleeve: From the idyllic shire of the Hobbits to the smoking chasms of Mordor, director Peter Jackson has created a world that surpasses the expectations of J.R.R. Tolkien purists as Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) embarks on his epic quest to destroy the ring of Sauron. The movie--which nabbed 13 Oscar nominations--is superbly cast with actors such as Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), and stays remarkably true to the book.

I probably would have placed this one a little higher on the list. But here it is, number 50. I never read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings epic, but the movies based on the books are phenomenal. I remember seeing this in the theater 11 years ago and thinking how visually stunning it was. And it still is. It isn't fair to have just the first part of this trilogy listed here, because in seeing this movie we only get part of the story. Most of the characters' story arcs take all three movies to complete. The exception here is Boromir, played by Sean Bean. I hope I'm not spoiling this for you, but he doesn't make it to The Two Towers. Boromir goes from being an arrogant guy who doesn't think much of anyone around him to basically swearing his allegiance to Aragorn with his dying breath. Try not crying when he calls Aragorn his king. I mean... No, I wasn't crying. I had something in my eye. Anyway, I'm looking forward to The Hobbit starting this December. Should be awesome.

AFI Top 100 - The Halfway Point

When I posted my thoughts on West Side Story last week, I came to the midway point on the AFI's list of the top 100 films of all time. I started this thing in January of 2011. So it's only taken me one year, ten months and seventeen days to get halfway through the list.

Originally, I intended to watch all 100 movies throughout the course of 2011. I'm not too unhappy that I didn't make it. After all, it kind of means I don't actually spend all my time just watching movies. This has been the impression that a lot of people probably have of me for a long time. To them I say HA!

I digress. I seem to have a pretty decent schedule going on these movies now. One a week isn't too bad, right? Which means that at this time next year, I will have completed the entire list. Assuming I stick to that one a week schedule.

Movies are fun. If you're interested in following along with the top 50, I'll be watching The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring for next week. It's a good one.

AFI 51 - West Side Story

West Side Story

1961

Directed by Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise

Netflix sleeve: Winner of 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, this classic musical set among the tenements of New York City finds star-crossed lovers Maria (Natalie Wood) and Tony (Richard Beymer) caught in the midst of a turf war between rival street gangs. The modern Romeo and Juliet story features original choreography by Jerome Robbins, as adapted from the Broadway stage production. Oscar winners Rita Moreno and George Chakiris co-star.

Mom tried to make me watch this one when I was a kid. Her reasoning, in theory, made good sense. After all, I liked other musical films: The Sound of Music, Grease, The Wizard of Oz. But I could never get more than 10 minutes into West Side Story. The problem I had was with the gangs. These were the tough guys? These were the guys that intimidated everyone in the neighborhood? The ones that are hopping around, arms flailing about, snapping in unison? I just couldn't see it. Now that I've sat through the whole thing, I can plainly say it's not my kind of story. Some of the music was good, but overall not impressive. But I liked it better when it was called Romeo & Juliet (and I didn't even like that all that much).

AFI 52 - Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver

1976

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Netflix sleeve: Martin Scorsese crafts a violently prophetic, gripping vision of urban decay and insanity in which mentally unstable Vietnam vet Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) drives a cab through the sleaziest streets of pregentrified New York City and befriends a child hooker (Jodie Foster). The groundbreaking film earned four Oscar nominations, including nods for Best Picture, Best Score, and for De Niro and Foster's haunting performances.

"Haunting performances" is right. I mean... that was pretty jacked up. So the AFI list gave me two very dark De Niro flicks back to back. I'm not saying I'm looking forward to watching number 51 on the list, but at least it will be a lighthearted romp compared to this and The Deer Hunter. I'm not sure I know what else to say about this thing, other than completely jacked up. I mean, here's this movie that starts out okay. A guy's just trying to make a living for himself. He boldly asks out Cybill Shepherd. And somewhere he kind of snaps. He buys a bunch of guns shaves his hair into a Mohawk and starts killing people. And he's a hero for it! I won't have nightmares or anything. But I wouldn't want to run into this Travis Bickle character in a dark alley. Or a well lit alley for that matter.

AFI 53 - The Deer Hunter

The Deer Hunter

1978

Directed by Michael Cimino

Netflix sleeve: In this Oscar-winning epic from director Michael Cimino, a group of working-class friends decides to enlist in the Army during the Vietnam War and finds it to be hellish chaos--not the noble venture they imagined. Before they left, Steven (John Savage) married his pregnant girlfriend--and Michael (Robert De Niro) and Nick (Christopher Walken) were in love with the same woman (Meryl Streep). But all three are different men upon their return.

Pretty sure I said it back when I reviewed Platoon. Probably said it when I reviewed Full Metal Jacket, too. I'm just not a big fan of the Vietnam War epics. That's not to say I thought that either of those movies was bad. And I didn't think this one was bad either. It's just not a genre that I would choose to watch when faced with a choice of what to watch on movie night. I will say the acting was really well done. And now I have Apocalypse Now to look forward to at some point on this list.

AFI 54 - MASH

MASH

1970

Directed by Robert Altman

Netflix sleeve: Director Robert Altman's thinly veiled Vietnam War satire is indicative of when the spirit of the 1970s went mainstream, with Elliot Gould, Donald Sutherland and Tom Skerritt as Army doctors fighting military insanity and healing wounded soldiers during the Korean War. Featuring an Oscar-winning score and standout work from a huge ensemble cast (including Robert Duvall and Sally Kellerman), M*A*S*H is a masterpiece of '70s cinema.

I'm fairly certin I grew up with M*A*S*H reruns playing as background noise in my childhood home. I never really cared for it. Which is why I never attempted to watch the movie that inspired the series. But to a kid, a satire about war just isn't entertaining. As an adult, I found a great deal of humor in the exploits of Hawkeye and Trapper and Hot Lips. I'm sure that, at this point, I would enjoy the TV show a lot more.

AFI 55 - North by Northwest

North by Northwest

1959

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Netflix sleeve: What if everyone around you was suddenly convinced that you were a spy? This classic from master director Alfred Hitchcock stars Cary Grant as an advertising executive who looks a little too much like someone else and is forced to go on the lam (helped along by Eva Marie Saint). Hitchcock's sure-handed comic drama pits Grant against a crop duster and lands him in a fight for his life on Mount Rushmore--a true cliffhanger if ever there was one.

I can't say I've seen too many Hitchcock pictures. Surprising since I absolutely love Psycho and Rear Window. The latter of those, in particular, is an all time favorite of mine. But I've never seen this one, despite having so many classic scenes. Cary Grant being chased down by a crop duster? Check. Hanging on for dear life from the edge of Mount Rushmore? Check. Alfred Hitchcock missing a bus in the opening credits? Check-a-roony. It's a pretty good movie displaying a case of mistaken identity. I'm inspired to give more of Hitchcock's movies a look. I'd like to see Vertigo, is that any good?

AFI 56 - Jaws

Jaws

1975

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Netflix sleeve: Director Steven Spielberg virtually invented the summer blockbuster with this white-knuckle adaptation of Peter Benchley's novel about an insatiable great white shark that terrorizes the townspeople of fictional Amity Island. John Williams's legendary score punctuates the tension as the police chief (Roy Scheider), an oceanographer (Richard Dreyfuss) and a grizzled shark hunter (Robert Shaw) seek to destroy the bloodthirsty beast.

Another film franchise that I didn't know much of as a kid. Jaws: The Revenge was the first of the series that I actually saw. And that movie sucked. I knew that much at the age of 10. I didn't sit through this Spielberg classic until I was an adult. I'm not sure what makes it such a classic, though. It's got some great lines. But it mostly exploits a fear of sharks; a fear that, in reality, is mostly irrational. I do like the scene on the boat where the guys are drinking and comparing scars. They're probably about to face the most dangerous day of their lives, but they laugh and cut up like their lives aren't about to be at risk.