A television network cynically exploits a deranged former anchor’s ravings and revelations about the news media for its own profit. Network, having been released in 1976, is 42 years old. And, yet, somehow it manages to fit in tremendously well in this day and age. It managed to predict the future, and it’s unbelievably eerie. As the synopsis above states, Network is a film about … Continue reading 64. Network (1976)
In Africa during World War I, a gin-swilling riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced missionary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship. Never in my life have I seen a character more annoyingly frustrating in a film than Katherine Hepburn’s Rose Sayer in The African Queen. Look, her performance is great. However, how Charlie Allnut, Humphrey Bogart’s character, doesn’t throw her overboard … Continue reading 65. The African Queen (1951)
A bitter, aging couple, with the help of alcohol, use a young couple to fuel anguish and emotional pain towards each other. The main thing I have to say about Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is that it’s a lot to take in. By the time the film ends, you’re astonished by the kind of people these characters are. Every one of them has troubles, … Continue reading 67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Michael Dorsey, an unsuccessful actor, disguises himself as a woman in order to get a role on a trashy hospital soap. For some reason, I have not been able to properly write about this film. I don’t know why. I mean, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the acting and the writing. I loved watching the character of Michael Dorsey, played by my favorite Captain Hook, … Continue reading 69. Tootsie (1982)
In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn’t go as planned. When stripped away of all the bizarreness, A Clockwork Orange is a very well formulated crime drama. But, why would you want to strip away all of the bizarreness? That’s what makes it so wonderful and timeless. First, I want to talk about Stanley … Continue reading 70. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action. I cry no less than six times while watching this film. I counted this time. From the first battle scene as the men land on Omaha Beach on, what came to be known as, D-Day to the final battle scene at … Continue reading 71. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency. There are very few movies that I consider perfect. This, my friends, is one of them. From the writing, to the acting, to the music, to the cinematography, it’s all just perfect. The writing, I think, is this films strongest asset. Right from the beginning of … Continue reading 72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Wyoming, early 1900s. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid are the leaders of a band of outlaws. After a train robbery goes wrong they find themselves on the run with a posse hard on their heels. Their solution – escape to Bolivia. As we all know, from the time I watched The Wild Bunch, I do not like westerns. I have a hard time staying … Continue reading 73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims. I always find it enjoyable to rewatch a film that I have seen a billion and one times through an analytical lens. The Silence of the Lambs is one of my favorite films for a few reasons: 1. … Continue reading 74. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
An African American police detective is asked to investigate a murder in a racially hostile southern town. This film is relevant today. What’s sad is that it shouldn’t be. Yet, here we are. A little background on the film: We open up with a murder. The most important man in the small southern town of Sparta, Mississippi has been murdered. The town isn’t really equipped … Continue reading 75. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
