The Godfather, Part II

Top 100 (#32/32); Stars - James Caan (Current); Quotes - "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" (#58); Villains - Michael Corleone (#11); Top Ten - Gangster (#3)

Sequels, as a rule, should not be made. Most of the time, sequels are a lazy way to make a movie with a ready-made fan base. And most sequels are merely a sub-par rehash of the original plot.

Once in a while, however, Hollywood does it right. And they did it right with Godfather II. This isn't a retelling. It's the continuation, as well as the backstory, of the first movie. Fans of the first will undoubtably like the second (although I've heard that the third movie is a waste of time).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVsiQQtkf4s&feature=related

City Slickers

Laughs (#86); Stars - Billy Crystal (Current)

It is refreshing to find a comedy, particularly one made in the past twenty years, that isn't filled with sex, toilet humor, or offensive material.

That's one of the nice things about City Slickers. It's just guys out for some guy time having some good, clean fun.

And Didder, as much fun as I think a cattle drive would be, I know full well my bum couldn't handle being on a horse all day. So you may as well cross that off our Sister Day list.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B4zSGZ21kY

American Graffiti

Top 100 (#77/62); Laughs (#43); Stars - Richard Dreyfuss (Current)

American Graffiti launched the careers of some pretty big stars -Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, George Lucas, and Ron Howard (although he was already known as Opie). It's also a who's who of '70s sitcoms. Along with Howard, there's Cindy Williams, McKenzie Phillips, and Suzanne Somers.

The movie is about teenagers in the early 1960s, cruising the strip and listening to pretty great music. It's light, it's nostalgic, and it set the stage for Happy Days. A memorable look back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFgTMYEaWlc

Blazing Saddles

Laughs (#6)

It's irreverent and politically incorrect, but Blazing Saddles is funny. Mel Brooks knows how to make people laugh, and that's what this movie is all about. As far as I'm concerned, it's neck and neck with What About Bob? as the funniest movie ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke5Mr5eCF2U

Father of the Bride

Laughs (#83); Stars - Elizabeth Taylor (#7), Spencer Tracy (#9)

A tender, funny comedy about a father coming to grips with being the #2 man in his daughter's life. I really like this movie, and while I loved the 1991 version, the 1950 film is better in that it doesn't have the over-the-top annoying Martin Short. Both are worth watching, but the original is definitely more relate-able.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0zEKFnhfiQ

The Karate Kid

Cheers (#98)

It's Kung Fu meets Rocky. Daniel Russo is bullied until Mr. Miyagi teaches him karate and he kicks some butt. I loved this movie. Daniel is dorky (seriously - plaid shirt and camo pants? who does that?), but somehow the cute girl sees past that and realizes he's a decent guy. The bullies are nasty. It's sad that some kids really are that mean. And then there's Mr. Miyagi. I love him, and Pat Morita does a great job keeping him from being one-dimensional.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDi3an8WgN4

Giant

Top 100 (#82); Stars - Elizabeth Taylor (#7), James Dean (#18)

Netflix calls Giant a "sprawling epic", and sprawling is right. It sprawls over 3 hours. There's not much to the story - 25 years in the life of a cattleman and his wife living in Texas. Oh, and there's an oilman, too. Yep, that's it. Oh, and there was a nice little lesson about racism. And that's the movie.

I'm thinking James Dean must be really hot in East of Eden (which I haven't seen), because he's anything but in this movie - he's a nasty, greasy drunk. And in Rebel Without a Cause I thought he was effeminate and whiny. So I'm figuring his appeal had to come from his other movie.

Rock Hudson, though - ooh, baby. It's just so sad that he played for the other team because honey, he was easy on the eyes!

I reviewed this movie today because of a delightful scene regarding Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor's children on Thanksgiving Day. But alas, youtube doesn't have a clip. So instead you get this clip, which isn't actually from the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qmj2fXPvXc

The Muppet Movie

Stars - Miss Piggy (Current); Songs - Rainbow Connection (#74)
The Muppets comes out in theaters today, and even though I'm anxious to see it, I know it really can't compare to The Muppet Movie - the original and forever the best. There are countless reasons why the first Muppet movie set an untouchable standard, but only two of those reasons really matter. Jim Henson and Frank Oz.
Henson and Oz were truly pioneers of their craft, and they were a perfect pair. Ernie and Bert, Statler and Waldorf, Kermit and Miss Piggy. They played off each other so well.
I read a review recently that said any other puppeteer doing Kermit the Frog is like somebody else putting on your mom's clothes and pretending to be your mom. She might do a fabulous job, but she'll never be your mother. It's just not right.
So yes, I will see The Muppets, but I will see it knowing full well that it is not, nor can it be, The Muppet Movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylcDVDFj8Vg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSFLZ-MzIhM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BqqYaEM2mA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMR5JVo21wQ

The Odd Couple

Laughs (#17)

Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau make a great pair. These two work together magically, and their coupling with Neil Simon makes for a great movie.

When fussy Felix's wife kicks him out and he has to move in with slob Oscar, they both have to make some adjustments. Personally, I think the movie would have been funnier if it had focused more on the two of them living together rather than on Felix's ruined marriage. I'm guessing that's what the TV series did. At any rate, it was a funny movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb_biDJ3WeU&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLC8BE2D311E7C6CED

The Shawshank Redemption

Top 100 (#72 - Revised); Stars - Morgan Freeman (Current); Cheers (#23)

No, it's not Morgan Freeman Day (although that would be a great day). This just happened to be the next movie.

I don't know. The movie was ok - not great. Maybe it's because I don't really care for Tim Robbins. Maybe because I don't believe all prison wardens are corrupt. Most likely it's simply because Driving Miss Daisy is more my kind of movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUoEdoGxFvI

Driving Miss Daisy

Stars - Morgan Freeman (Current); Cheers (#77)

Oh, how I love this movie! One of my all-time favorites. It's a beautiful story of friendship. It has humor, it has heart, and it's definitely worth watching.

The only thing wrong with this movie is Dan Akroyd's accent, which is downright painful, and his stage acting. I'm not quite sure why he was cast. But Jessica Tandy is perfect, Morgan Freeman (I love him!) is wonderful, and Esther Rolle is understated but terrific.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR0oZ2pnhyg
I can't think of any better way to celebrate Go for a Ride Day (well, except maybe actually going for a ride. But it would depend on where you're going).

White Heat

Stars - James Cagney (#8); Quotes - "...Top of the world!" (#18); Villains - Cody Jarrett (#26); Top Ten - Gangster (#4)

Why don't gangsters call each other "dirty rat" in movies anymore? Life was better then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjzKiEs_pHI

Ball of Fire

Laughs (#92); Stars - Gary Cooper (#11), Barbara Stanwyck (#11)

Sergeant York, Pride of the Yankees, High Noon...this AFI movie project has revealed to me a very important thing - I absolutely adore Gary Cooper. Gable is king, Grant is suave, Peck is sophisticated, Stewart will always be my favorite, but I adore Cooper.

I love this movie, too. Gary Cooper is a stuffy grammarian living with seven other male professors while they work on an encyclopedia. Stanwyck is a nightclub singer hiding out from the police. She comes to the home of the professors under the guise of teaching Cooper modern slang. And of course the rest is predictable.

It has traces of Snow White (actually more like Sydney White), and in fact I'd been thinking that for about an hour when they actually referenced it in the movie. The sheltered professors are charming and delightful. So is the movie. I highly recommend it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmjnJhotUqw&feature=related

To Be or Not To Be

Laughs (#49); Stars - Carole Lombard (#23)

This is a comedy about a Polish theater troupe around 1940 who gets involved in the underground. It was funny enough, but I'm guessing it was funnier in the 1940s when the anti-Hitler humor was more relevant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWndLb3z5nY

Rear Window

Top 100 (#42/48); Thrills (#14); Stars - James Stewart (#3), Grace Kelly (#13); Top Ten - Mystery (#3)

My mom always said if you turn on a light, close the shades or draperies (Not drapes. Never drapes. 'Drape' is a verb. 'Drapery' is a noun.) My husband frequently turns on lights without closing shades or draperies. Which inevitably provokes three questions:

1. Are you saying my mother is wrong?

2. Didn't your mother teach you anything?

3. Haven't you seen Rear Window?

As the answer to number 3 is yes, I can't figure why he'd want the neighbors watching us. What if we're murdering somebody and a neighbor witnesses it? That could only lead to trouble.

Anyways, along with teaching a valuable life lesson (which apparently some people have yet to learn), Rear Window is a great movie. It's thrilling and suspenseful. Grace Kelly is, of course, beautiful. And it has my favorite, Jimmy Stewart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IiICcSH8iY&feature=related

M*A*S*H

Top 100 (#56/54); Laughs (#7); Songs - Suicide is Painless (#66)

This movie had no plot. It was just army doctors in Korea playing pranks on each other. I felt like it should have had some story to it, but it didn't.

The other thing was - and this was a big thing - I love the TV series so much. I love the actors and the characters. I suppose it's easier to develop a character when you have eleven years to do so, but even from the earliest episodes, the characters had a lot more depth to them, and a whole lot more heart.

So, overall, I wasn't impressed with the movie. Oh, and apparently I'm not the only one who thought the poster was too risque for my blog. The posters from other countries all cleaned it up to some extent or another.

That is all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJyfmanqYc8

Going My Way

Songs - Swinging on a Star (#37)

Going My Way is sweet and simple, a feel-good movie about a priest who relates well to his parishioners because he remembers being one of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTUKHMlbYGA

Jaws

Top 100 (#48/56); Thrills (#2); Score (#6); Stars - Richard Dreyfuss (Current); Quotes - "You're going to need a bigger boat" (#35); Villains - The Shark (#18)

Any kid who went swimming in the late 1970s knows the theme. What Psycho did for showers, Jaws did for swimming. This was largely due to Steven Spielberg's masterful use of suspense. He knew just when the shark should attack, and when to simply tease. Sure, when you really look at it you can see how fake the shark looks, but audiences didn't care. Jaws was a huge hit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6T-a73rccU&feature=related

Citizen Kane

Top 100 (#1/1); Stars - Orson Welles (#16); Quotes - "Rosebud" (#17)

Would somebody please explain to me why this movie is considered the best movie of all the time? Why does it beat out Casablanca and Gone With the Wind? Sure, the acting is good and the story is fine. But best ever? I just really, really don't see it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV4yD634DD4

Dead Poets Society

Cheers (#52); Quotes - "Carpe Diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." (#95)

An English professor at a stuffy 1950s boarding school challenges his students to break the molds and think for themselves.

I love this movie. I love the cast, from its young actors like Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles to its star, Robin Williams, in a rather un-Robin Williams-like role.

It's definitely worth seeing, a valuable reminder to occasionally step out of the box and carpe diem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8fu-hq3S7A

Alien

Thrills (#6); Villains - The Alien (#14); Top Ten - Science Fiction (#7)

Well, that was gross.

Oh, and the first half hour was pointless, I love Tom Skeritt, and who names their kid Sigourney?

That's all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b0pxi6Tumw

The Black Stallion

Cheers (#64)

A young boy befriends a horse when they are shipwrecked together on an island. After they are rescued, the stallion becomes a champion race horse.

It's a feel-good family movie, and it's nice to see Mickey Rooney in a grown-up version of the character he played in National Velvet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkf4BpqbCYU&feature=related

Fatal Attraction

Thrills (#28); Villains - Alex Forrest (#7)

The moral of this movie is Keep your pants zipped, guys! That's what Sam Baldwin in Sleepless in Seattle took away from it, and that's a good thing. Personally, I think Michael Douglas should have been more afraid of his wife than of Glenn Close. Because if my husband had an affair and then the psycho woman came after my child, boy howdy would I go after the man who brought the lunatic into our lives.

Oh, and I have to admit that it's slightly disconcerting that my crazy neighbor looks a bit like a shorter, heavier Glenn Close. At least my husband has the common sense to stay far, far away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Iiyd6LQKo

Private Benjamin

Laughs (#82); Stars - Goldie Hawn (Current)

A spoiled rich girl runs away and joins the army. She finds out it's not fun and wants to quit, but ends up rising to the occasion.

Goldie Hawn is cute and funny in this military comedy. It's a bit dated and predictable, but still good for a few laughs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1ahmbkY8tk

A Few Good Men

Quotes - "You can't handle the truth!" (#29); Top Ten - Courtroom Drama (#5)

This is one of the few Tom Cruise movies that I actually like. It's interesting and exciting. The dialogue is richly written (by Aaron Sorkin) and the acting, even by Tom Cruise and Demi Moore, is really quite good. Jack Nicholson, of course, is excellent, and the supporting cast - Kevin Pollock, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Noah Wyle, Cuba Gooding Jr - are all terrific.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xXlW0kOddw

Jerry Maguire

Quotes - "Show me the money" (#25), "You had me at 'hello'" (#52); Passions (#100), Top Ten - Sports (#10)

I don't get Hollywood's fascination with this movie. It had its romantic moments, but it wasn't a great love story. It had parts that made me laugh, but it wasn't a great comedy. I don't understand the appeal. Even the good points weren't all that wonderful. Jonathan Lipnicki was cute, and writer/director Cameron Crowe wisely limited his screen time and kept him from getting annoying. The whole "You complete me...You had me at hello" moment was one of those moments every woman wants, but the rest was just okay. I love Cuba Gooding Jr, and he was the bright spot in this movie. But Oscar worthy? I'm not sure about that. It wasn't an Oscar-type role.

I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but I didn't love Jerry Maguire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpWAlvWNZj0

Auntie Mame

Laughs (#94); Quotes - "Life is a banquet..." (#93)

A conservative young orphan is sent to live with his free-wheeling aunt. For some reason, I was expecting this to be a musical. Is there a musical based on this movie? Anyways, after several scenes without show-stopping numbers, I realized it wasn't.

At any rate, while it's not a movie I'd watch again and again, I liked it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-LIYR4Fhq0

Footloose

Stars - Kevin Bacon (Current); Songs - Footloose (#96)

Here's what's wrong with the movie - Lori Singer. She's not a great actress, she's not attractive, her clothes are atrocious, and she's an absolute brat. How she got two guys to fight over her is beyond me.

And here's what's right - everything else, starting with Chris Penn. His Let's Hear It for the Boy is one of my favorite movie scenes. I love him!

Sarah Jessica Parker is bubbly, Kevin Bacon is charmingly cocky, Dianne Wiest is a wonderfully supportive wife, and John Lithgow is convincing (even though his preaching is a bit misguided).

And then there's the dancing. That's what this movie's all about, and it does it well. I still tap my feet every time I hear the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrOJ37grfG8

On Golden Pond

Score (#24); Stars - Katharine Hepburn (#1), Henry Fonda (#6); Cheers (#45); Quotes - "...You're my knight in shining armor..." (#88); Passions (#22)

I need to see this movie again. I love it. This is what romantic movies should be about - not two young people hopping into bed, but two people whose love has stood the test of time. That's passion.

I love that it stars Hepburn and Fonda, two screen legends in beautifully written roles.

And what I love most about it is the resemblance of Norman and Ethel to my grandparents, Statler and Grandma Brandybuck. She loved to dance in the berry patch, and he could indeed be an old poop. But he was her knight in shining armor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT4KovVUc78

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Top 100 (#49); Songs - Someday My Prince Will Come (#19); Villains - The Queen (#10); Top Ten - Animation (#1)

I get why this made the Top 100. It's a landmark, the first full-length animated film and the start of the Disney empire. However, I don't think it's the fairest of them all. Cinderella took that title in 1950, followed by Sleeping Beauty in 1959 and Beauty and the Beast in 1991. While Snow White is certainly a noteworthy movie, the character is annoying. Sure, she's hardworking and kind, but she's dumb as a post and her voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard (although when you think of it, I'm sure the actress was chosen because she sounds like a cross between Betty Boop and Shirley Temple). And the movie is dark and really quite scary.

On the plus side, Disney scored a huge hit with the dwarfs, making them funny and lovable. They set the stage for future sidekicks like Cinderella's mice, Ariel's Sebastian and Flounder, and Belle's Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts.

74 years later, it's not the fairest, but it still stands strong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkJOa6jEZCY&feature=related

Roxanne

Passions (#72)

It's the romantic story of Cyrano deBergerac, updated to the 1980s. Overall, I liked it. Steve Martin is funny, but not over the top. Daryl Hannah is sweet (which is nice, because I usually don't like her). Oh, and it has Rick Rossevich. Don't know who he is? He played Slider in Top Gun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdAVH-ZeUHc&feature=related
(even in Spanish, you get what the scene's about)

Working Girl

Cheers (#87); Songs - Let the River Run (#91); Passions (#91)

A secretary schemes and sleeps her way to the top after her boss takes credit for one of her ideas. Enh. It's just okay. And Melanie Griffith can't act her way out of a box.

The movie does have Joan Cusack, though. At least that's something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q38F1rDMbw0

Full Metal Jacket

Thrills (#95)

In the late 1980s, due largely to the success of Platoon, Hollywood released a slew of Vietnam movies. In their attempt to provide a 'realistic' view of war, they failed to show the greatest reality - that our soldiers are heroes and deserve honor.

I did learn one thing from this movie, though. A "full metal jacket" is a complete round of ammo. And now you know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZNxbzEwB5k

To Catch a Thief

Stars - Cary Grant (#2), Grace Kelly (#13); Passions (#46)

Cary Grant is suave as a former burglar trying to clear his name. Grace Kelly is stunning as the woman who catches his eye. This Hitchcock mystery is entertaining, and the stars and setting make it something definitely worth watching.

(This clip has nothing to do with the movie, but I found it while I was searching for a movie-related one, so I thought I'd share)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBC5wtnotOI

Mrs. Miniver

Cheers (#40)

First off, don't name your daughter Greer. It's just not pretty.

I really like this movie. It's a WWII homefront movie based in England. It's not highly exciting, but it shows how the lives of families were changed as they came to include gas masks, blackout curtains, and rationing. If you haven't seen it, you really should.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T2cTLBQ6zo

Raising Arizona

Laughs (#31)

A childless couple hears that the parents of quints have "more than they can handle", so they decide to take one of the babies and raise him as their own. With a cast and plot straight out of My Name is Earl, things don't go quite as planned.

Raising Arizona is one of the Coen brothers' (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) first films, and it's funny. The plot twists go a bit too far at times, but overall it's a fun, sweet movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-7IWOS_pN8

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Quotes - "My precious" (#85)

Most of my thoughts on this movie can be found in the FOTR post. I'll just add this - This was the darkest, and my least favorite, of the three movies. The fellowship was split up, and the hobbits were on their own. As is usually the case, the middle movie just connects the other two. However, I do like this movie.

And I love Samwise Gamgee -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEMdXhfO-Wk

Midnight Cowboy

Top 100 (#36/43); Stars - Dustin Hoffman (Current - Not Rated); Quotes - "I'm walking here..." (#27); Songs - Everybody's Talkin' (#22)

I saw part of this on TV once. It was confusing and the characters were whiny and I don't feel I need to go back and watch the whole thing.

Oh, and Everybody's Talkin' is a really annoying song.

To Kill A Mockingbird

Top 100 (#34/25); Score (#17); Stars - Gregory Peck (#12); Cheers (#2); Heroes - Atticus Finch (#1); Top Ten - Courtroom Drama (#1)

The only thing better than this movie is the book on which it was based, and that's a pretty close match. I love this story - a girl growing up and learning about prejudices (towards the poor, to other races, and to the mentally challenged). Along the way, she is guided by her father. Atticus Finch is without a doubt the most honorable character in literature, and I am so glad AFI acknowledged that. A man with integrity, decency, and wisdom. I wish we could all be like Atticus.

This is one of the most powerful moments in all of moviedom:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7CX_5D6y6E