Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Laughs (#89)

Look up this movie and you'll find it repeated ad nauseum that writer Cameron Crowe went undercover at a high school to find out what teenagers were really like.  How Josie Grossie of him.  He was like 25 years old.  Did he really not know what teenagers are like?  And while I know I wasn't your typical high school student, it seemed to me that there was more to high school life than just drugs and sex.  Whatever.  I think John Hughes' movies were better.

Sean Penn created a highly (pun intended) memorable character.  His scenes with Ray Walston are the best in the movie.  Too bad Penn got all political, because I really think he's a talented actor.  Underrated actors Anthony Edwards and Eric Stoltz also put in appearances, as well as a then-rising star named Nick Coppola.

While I think Fast Times deserves its spot on the list of great teen films, it certainly isn't the best one out there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlRvE9dKWQc

Days of Wine and Roses

Song - Days of Wine and Roses (#39)

This is the story of a couple's decent from social drinking into alcoholism.  It's probably fairly realistic and was well-acted, but got a bit preachy at times (which was probably the point, because I don't know why else you'd make a movie like this).  These days, it probably would end up on Lifetime instead of the big screen.  Then again, When a Man Loves a Woman was very similar, and that was released theatrically.

As for the song - Henry Mancini had some notable tunes that are worthy of this list (Pink Panther, M*A*S*H...maybe Moon River, although I don't get the appeal of that song).  This, however, is just 1960s cheesiness.  There are other songs that should have had this spot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGA6b-DoX4c

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Passions (#98)

Not having read the book, I can't tell you how much this differs.  But I still think it's an odd choice for a Disney movie.

Nevertheless, this version was good.  Charles Laughton, whom I don't usually like, did an especially good job.  Sir Cedric Hardwicke also was notable as Frollo.  He reminded me of Alan Rickman, and I kept thinking how wonderful Rickman would be in that role.  Maybe they should remake it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEEpavnk7Uw

Places in the Heart

Cheers (#95)

A widow tries to hold on to her husband's land, with the help of a blind renter and a black drifter. 

It was good, and could have been a great family movie were it not for the unnecessary subplot about her brother-in-law's extramarital affair.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_4eoSPYL_M

Touch of Evil

Thrills (#64); Stars - Orson Welles (#16)

A scandalous thriller involving murder, drugs, and kidnapping.  It had so much going on it was hard to follow.  And Charlton Heston's mustache was definitely not a good look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dhHJ2yCgQY (you can skip the first 26 seconds)

AFI 100 Years...100 Stars

We've completed our list of 100 Stars.  Well, almost.  Sophia Loren (#21), Mary Pickford (#24), and Ava Gardner (#25) were not in any of the movies on any of the lists, so none of their movies were reviewed here.  All the others are. 

What have I learned?  I've discovered I adore Gary Cooper, prefer Buster Keaton to Charlie Chaplin, am afraid of Robert Mitchum, can't stand Judy Garland (ok, I knew that, but it was confirmed), think Barbara Stanwyck's bangs are ridiculous, and don't get Lauren Bacall's appeal.  I think Audrey Hepburn is fine but overrated, and Marilyn Monroe's acting skills are overlooked because people think of her as a sex symbol.  I really, really like Sidney Poitier, and I don't know why William Holden is on the list, because he shouldn't be in the company of greats like Gable, Grant, and Stewart.

I also think it bears repeating that I love Jimmy Stewart.  Clark Gable is king.  Cary Grant is suave, and Gene Kelly is so fine (doo lang, doo lang, doo lang).

And while the purpose of the second set of 50 was merely to introduce the original 50, and so they picked whomever was available, I think they should have made an effort to make it a real list.  It's a shame that because they came later people like Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Jack Lemmon, and the like weren't recognized.

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

Stormy Weather

Songs - Stormy Weather (#30)

Not a very strong plot, but plenty of good singing and dancing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0TyUOJfpQo

Red River

Stars - John Wayne (#13); Top Ten - Western (#5)

Personally I wouldn't rank this above Butch Cassidy or Stagecoach, but it was good.  Wayne is a ruthless rancher who leads his men on a cattle drive to Missouri. 

Montgomery Clift, as Wayne's adopted son, is so doggone good looking he dominates every shot he's in (much like Ben Affleck in Shakespeare in Love).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB90b8xXYIk

Judgment at Nuremberg

Stars - Judy Garland (#8), Spencer Tracy (#9), Marlene Dietrich (#9), Burt Lancaster (#19); Top Ten - Courtroom Drama (#10)

Excellent, excellent movie!  Well-written, perfectly paced, and superbly acted.  Maximillian Schell gave an incredible performance, and both Burt Lancaster and Marlene Dietrich were wonderfully understated.  Spencer Tracy and Montgomery Clift were terrific as well.

As I get towards the end of the lists, I feel like I've seen all the good ones already and the ones that are left are ones I didn't really want to see to begin with.  It's nice to still come across truly great movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFJ65Sr-Sho

MT Salutes - Twelve Angry Men

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

Flashdance

Songs - Flashdance...What a Feeling (#55)

Highly predictable story with so-so acting.  But it has a great '80s soundtrack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH9q1iYN8mo

MT Salutes - The King and I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pudBqiTKA7U

The China Syndrome

Thrills (#94)

Yawn - overly political anti-nuclear energy movie.  Jack Lemmon was good.  Michael Douglas was alright.  Yeah, that's about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFWFtzOpTi0

MT Salutes - Fiddler on the Roof

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKxH4fiA5-A

Body Heat

Thrills (#92); Passions (#94)

Erotic thrillers were big in the '80s (think Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, etc).  This is one from that genre. 

As far as a mystery goes, it's pretty good.  As for the rest, yeah, I skipped a whole bunch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARUM0-jtjIg

MT Salutes - Guys and Dolls

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2YY3Ba6Js0

The Pink Panther

Scores (#20)

So not my type of humor.  It just didn't keep my interest.

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

MT Salutes - The Postman Always Rings Twice

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWLgdI8UBjc 

Stagecoach

Top 100 (#63); Stars - John Wayne (#13); Top Ten - Western (#9)

This movie takes everything you need to make a good western - a gunslinger, a preacher, the town drunk, and a saloon girl with a heart of gold - and puts them together on a stagecoach.  It's John Ford's answer to movies like Dinner at Eight and Grand Hotel - take a mixed bag of characters and put them in a situation where their paths cross.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6v-auTctSo

MT Salutes - Gone With the Wind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQNmq3jxL3c

Two for the Road

Stars - Audrey Hepburn (#3); Passions (#57)

While recounting past vacations and road trips, a couple tells the story of their tumultous marriage. 

Their relationship isn't as volatile as the one in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, but I still don't understand why a movie about a couple who does nothing but bicker is considered romantic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMR5JVo21wQ