I devour the BFI Best Films of All Time list whenever they deem it necessary to revise and (invariably) disagree with most of the findings, but I still get a kick out of browsing. Same with Rolling Stone's inane Best 100 Albums (how does Sgt. Pepper drop from #1 to #24 in the latest incarnation?); the anger I feel subsides when I see they've put a couple of Aerosmith albums on the list! We all disagree with that number one but we keep right on scrolling through each choice.
This project, which has been percolating for quite a while, originated from the constant back and forth "good natured bickering" between John Scoleri and myself. John invariably loves everything and I hate it all (for more of the discourse, I advise one and all to pick up a copy of bare•bones print magazine and read our debates about streaming and movie theaters to get a taste). I began to think it would be fun to compose a Favorite (as opposed to Best) 100 and compare our selections. Making it even more tantalizing, I managed to talk the third head of Ghidorah, Jack Seabrook, into participating. This could be interesting, since John's never seen a movie the two Georges (Romero and Lucas) didn't have a hand in, and Jack usually favors the flicks that have words at the bottom of the screen (dis-moi que j'ai tort, Jack!). I, on the other hand, can't wait to educate these two gentlemen as to what constitutes good cinema.
Every Thursday, we'll count down our picks two at a time. We're hoping this will generate discourse outside of our trio. Let us know just how crazy we are. This is going to be fun!—Peter
" Let's play something else."
McQueen had built a career playing tough guys, usually macho men who worked the range or hunted outlaws or wore a soldier's uniform so, when The Thomas Crown Affair was released in 1968, audiences must not have known what to make of this startling transformation. Steve McQueen as a multi-millionaire, wearing a three-piece suit tailored in London, who moonlights as the master-planner of bank heists? Preposterous. And yet the guy pulls it off without effort.
McQueen has quite a bit of help though. There's director Jewison, who opted for a gentler, thoughtful approach to his crime drama. The famous chess scene seems to go on forever, quite a bit longer than contemporary "filmmakers" would attempt, and accomplishes the same effect as the obligatory soft-focus hump. It's even sexier, I'd argue. Jewison knew that if he told a compelling story, audiences would be patient. If you're looking for a big heist scene, go elsewhere; Jewison films the robberies almost matter of factly, without much fanfare or trickery. The heist advances the plot, nothing more.
I first saw The Thomas Crown Affair in the early 1980s shortly after McQueen's death. One of the local stations was running a McQueen marathon, I think, and that's where I first saw this, The Cincinnati Kid, and Papillon. I had an inkling (from Bullitt and The Magnificent Seven) that this guy was something special but Crown sealed the deal for me. There were better actors, certainly, but only one male movie star was more captivating than Steve McQueen. We'll get to him soon.
That final scene, Crown on a jet flying to freedom in another country with a smile on his face reminds me of Neil McCauley's credo: "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat." This guy looks like he'll be just fine.—Peter
Remarks from the Gallery:
Jack: I've never seen this and I don't know why. It seems like one I'd enjoy. Is that really a photo of Faye Dunaway? It doesn't look much like her.
John: This is a McQueen film that I own but have yet to see. I don't know if I saw him first in The Blob or The Great Escape, but I've been a fan since then. I even like The Hunter, which was my first time seeing him on the big screen. I finally got around to The Getaway a few months back when it played at the Alamo Drafthouse, and seeing the trailer for the latest rehash of Thomas Crown just makes me more interested in checking out the original.
"Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn."
Things are going swimmingly for gorgeous Scarlett O’Hara on her daddy’s plantation in the Old South until the Civil War breaks out and her home and plantation are ravaged! Though she has set her sights on Ashley Wilkes (who is married to the saintly Melanie), she finds it hard to resist the charms of roguish Rhett Butler, whom she marries (eventually) after he saves her and Melanie when those durn Yankees set fire to Atlanta. Will Scarlet ever stop chasing Ashley? Will Melanie survive another pregnancy? Will Rhett realize that his wife is a jerk?
Like many members of my generation, I first saw Gone With the Wind when it was broadcast in late 1976 over two nights on NBC. It was an epic then and, watching it today in the wake of all the reassessment of its depiction of the Old South, it’s still a great movie. Vivien Leigh portrays Scarlett initially as a spoiled girl; as the film goes on, the character grows deeper and more complex, but you never really root for her. The screen lights up whenever Clark Gable appears as Rhett and he seems to be having a whale of a time, though (as usual) he shows many layers of his character as well. The costumes, the sets, the color, the cinematography—wow! And that terrific score by Max Steiner. What a movie!—Jack
Remarks from the Gallery:
Peter: The first time I saw this was in (I think) the late 1980s, when the film had a major re-release (including the intermission) at the Town & Country in San Jose. Hard to believe it's nearly four hours long since it just seems to breeze on by. It has an epic quality that I don't think has ever been captured since. Gable is great but what keeps me coming back (I've seen it at least a half dozen times since that initial theater viewing) is Vivien, who might just be the most beautiful thing I ever saw on a movie screen.
John: I had never seen this one on TV growing up, so when it came around to our local rep house (The Towne—not the Town & Country Peter refers to) in the late '80s or early '90s, I thought I should finally check it out on the big screen. Sadly, I was not impressed. It wasn't hard for me to believe it was four hours long; I felt every minute of it. As a result, I haven't revisited it since. Perhaps I should, since I obviously went in to that first viewing with my expectations set far too high.
March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934)
"Ollie Dee: So far so good.
Stannie Dum: It wasn't so far. We just came across the street."
To me, this will always be March of the Wooden Soldiers, though many are more familiar with it as Babes in Toyland. It's my favorite Laurel & Hardy film. The interweaving of all the fairy tale characters is quite clever, and the way in which they are rendered onscreen is pretty cool (even when it leads to us briefly believing a string of sausages is all that's left of one of the three little pigs...). And it's got a great monkey in a Mickey Mouse costume (apparently Walt Disney licensed the Mouse to Hal Roach Studios for inclusion in the film!), but it's Henry Brandon's Silas Barnaby and the Bogeymen who are the real stars of this children's horror show!
Ill-fitting, somewhat ridiculous costumes which appear to be made out of carpet samples notwithstanding, the Bogeymen are a convincing threat as we see them invade Toyland. This is probably at the top of my list of holiday classics I revisit every few years.—John
Remarks from the Gallery:
Peter: 78 minutes of sheer joy and one I must admit I'd forgotten all about. March was a Thanksgiving ritual around my grandmother's house in the 1960s. It usually came on around one in the afternoon and I never got tired of it. Thanks for reminding me of this one, John; it almost makes up for Highlander.
Jack: My wife turned me on to this one many years ago and we've watched it often, usually around Thanksgiving or Christmas, whenever it airs locally on channel 11. It's a lot of fun. The line, "A Christmas present? In the middle of July?" is one of those that we can say to each other (and to our kids) at random when the situation is right.
"This guy is a wrecking machine! And he's hungry! Hell, you ain't been hungry since you won that belt."
1982. Probably the greatest summer ever (mine at least) at the Century Theaters. It seemed like two or three compelling flicks would land every week. E.T., The Thing, The Wrath of Khan, Poltergeist, Conan... the list goes on. So, there I stood in front of the Century 22, trying to decide whether to see Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid or Rocky III. I opted for the latter (thank goodness). An hour and a half later I exited the building exhilarated and ready to go right back in.
With III, Stallone for the most part discards the sap and sentimentality (save Mickey's death) and concentrates on giving the people what they want: fight scenes. The three bouts here are electric (in particular the climactic match) and are choreographed so well that you miss the seams and the missed punches. Raise your hand if you used Rocky's training scenes to motivate you for that day's trip to the gym. Stallone's muscles had muscles.
Stallone surrounds himself with a strong supporting cast, most of whom are back for their third go-round. Carl Weathers, Burt Young, Burgess Meredith, and Talia Shire (the latter's is the only performance that doesn't ring true—Adrian's become a completely different person between II and III—some might say that's how a real-life person matures when their surroundings change, but the Rocky/Adrian argument at the beach comes off as phony to me) all make for interesting and humorous traveling companions for the ex-champ. Newcomer Mr. T. is the eye-opener here; his Clubber Lang almost seems to explode with pent-up energy, hate, and jealousy. His is the best performance in the film. The catchy theme song ("Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor) held on to the American Top 40 just like the film held on to the box office all through the Summer of '82.
There have been nine Rocky franchise films and I've watched every one of them several times (II and V the least), but it's III that I come back to the most for that adrenaline surge.—Peter
Remarks from the Gallery:
Jack: This was a fun movie! I remember we were all going around saying "I pity the fool" for a while. I may still say it from time to time. I managed to see this and Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid in the theaters! Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid had Rachel Ward, so how bad could it be?
John: In the mix of the great 1982 lineup, Rocky III is certainly worthy of mention, but in my opinion there are a lot of other films from that year worthy of top 100 recognition ahead of this one. Yes, it's probably the most entertaining and rewatchable of the early Rocky films (I've only seen it once but was surprised by how much I enjoyed Rocky Balboa); the last time I revisited III was when we hosted a summer of '82 celebration back in 2012 and I've not been drawn back to see it since.
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"Whatever will be, will be."
While on vacation in French Morocco, Dr. Ben McKenna, his wife Jo, and their son Hank, witness a murder in an open-air market. Before he dies, the victim whispers a message to Ben, leading to the kidnapping of Hank by criminals determined to carry out an assassination back in London. Can Ben and Jo find Hank and get him back safely? Will the assassination plot be foiled? And most important, what does the song “Que Sera, Sera?” have to do with it all?I first saw The Man Who Knew Too Much when it was re-released in early 1984 after being kept out of circulation for two decades by Hitchcock, who knew a thing or two about suspense. It’s the first of his films to appear in the countdown of my 100 Favorite Movies and it’s certainly a goodie—Jimmy Stewart is my all-time favorite male movie star and, of course, Hitch is my all-time favorite director. Doris Day is terrific and the climactic sequence at the Albert Hall is gripping. Just try to watch this movie and not going around humming “Que Sera, Sera” for a day or two!—Jack
Remarks from the Gallery:
Peter: A really good Hitch with a fabulous Herrmann score. Though not one of my Top Five Hitch flicks, it's got a typically good performance by Stewart and it's immensely rewatchable.
John: This one's a bit further down my Hitch list. The Birds didn't even make the final cut; nor did North by Northwest, and I'm still agonizing over the absence of both of those. But Hitch will be represented in my top 100, all in good time.
Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
"Christmas is fast becoming my least favorite "C" word."
I've just about had my fill of zombie films. So much so that I will often avoid those that I am assured will win me over. Like Train to Busan. Or One Cut of the Dead. And don't even get me started on George Romeo's final zombie opus, which lacks the necessary George Romero to be called that... Twilight of the Dead. If you thought The Walking Dead was a great show because "it focused on the human characters, not the zombies," that just tells me you're not appropriately versed in the films of the master. But every once in a while, something will slip through the cracks and prove to be a fresh, new, worthy addition to a genre that has, let's face it, been chewed and re-chewed endlessly. Something that serves as a love letter to Romero and his films, and gives us a unique take on the phenomenon. Shaun of the Dead is an obvious example. And so is Anna and the Apocalypse.
Ella Hunt is absolutely charming as Anna, who is prepared to launch herself into the world, post high school, in a way that doesn't align with her father's wishes for her. She's got a jerk for an ex-boyfriend, a best friend who likes her more than she realizes, and a teacher who is out to get her; basically, a normal high school life. So, when a zombie outbreak occurs, it's just one more thing to deal with. And deal with it she does.
On paper, extending the rom-zom-com into the realm of musicals sounds like a horrible idea. But when I saw it was going to get a limited theatrical release, I checked out the trailer and was compelled to check it out. Like Shaun, it was not only funny, but it didn't let you forget that a zombie apocalypse is a horror scenario where people you care about can die. And laid on top of that are a series of musical numbers that were both witty and catchy. "Break Away" and "Hollywood Ending" are two great examples. We were so enamored with the film on our first viewing that we went back to see it a second time during its one-week theatrical engagement. And, years later, it continues to please. We regularly sing along with the soundtrack album. It's my favorite Christmas musical (just edging out March of the Wooden Soldiers), and it might even be my all-time favorite musical, depending on your definition of the term (we'll see if any of my future selections qualify).—John
Remarks from the Gallery:
Peter: Here's one I've never seen and, sorry, mate, the tag line "Shaun of the Dead Meets La-La Land" does not make me want to seek it out.
Jack: Well, that's a new one on me. A zombie musical? Why am I not surprised? In the last bunch of years, zombies have been so hot that it had to happen. I think the most recent zombie movie I saw was Dawn of the Dead. That was, what, 50 years ago or so?
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