March 01, 2008

Mememememe

Just because, here's another of those mooovie memes, this one swiped from our pal Kathy the Cake-Eater.

The rules this time:

Bold movies you have watched and liked.
Turn red movies you have watched and loved. I dunno how to color font, so I'll just bold and underline these.
Italicize movies you saw and didn’t like.
Leave as is movies you haven’t seen.

It's a looooooooong list, so I'll put it below the fold:

The Godfather (1972)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Nope, never saw it.
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) - "When you have to shoot, shoot! Don't talk!"
Pulp Fiction (1994) - Call me a dork, but the fascination so many people have with this movie completely escapes me.
Schindler’s List (1993) - I confess I've never summoned the nerve.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) I'll agree with those who say this is the best of the lot.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Casablanca (1942)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - Any screenplay that could screw up the drama of the freakin' ride of the Rohirrim deserves all the tomatoes money can buy.
Star Wars (1977) - I score this one higher than Empire Strikes Back just because I can still remember the effect it had on me when I first saw it back in '77.
12 Angry Men (1957)
Rear Window (1954) - Admit it - the first time Raymond Burr looks up and spots Jimmah spying on him, you just about fell out of your seat in fear.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Goodfellas (1990)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Dwarf-tossing, indeed. I happen to be reading Tolkien's collected letters at the moment. I'm sure the poor man has been rolling in his grave for seven years now.
City of God (2002)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) - Eastwood was supposed to star in this originally, but Bronson does just fine. And Henry Fonda as a stone-cold killer? That'll give you nightmares.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Psycho (1960)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) - Well, it certainly has its moments, but as is often the case with this sort of thing, the politics is overdone.
Citizen Kane (1941) - Okay, I admit. I don't get it. I really just don't get it.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
North by Northwest (1959) - Probably my favorite Hitchcock. Certainly one of my favorite musical scores.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002). Feh.
Fight Club (1999)
Memento (2000)
Sunset Blvd. (1950) - I need to pull this out again. Unfortunately, I don't think I could watch it without thinking of the parody that Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman used to do.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) "No...prisoners." There's a new biography of Lawrence just out that I'd lilke to get which apparently is very good about getting behind his own self-inflated image.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) (Ducks.)
The Matrix (1999) - Discounting teh dorm bull-session philosophy, of course.
Taxi Driver (1976)
Se7en (1995)
Apocalypse Now (1979) - I saw it years ago and frankly don't remember anything.
American Beauty (1999) - Ah, what a cruel, caged, stilted, meaningless life we suburbanites lead! Puh-lease.
Vertigo (1958) - Saw it last in college.
Amélie (2001)
The Departed (2006)
Paths of Glory (1957)
American History X (1998)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Chinatown (1974)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
The Third Man (1949)
A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Yeah, I must be getting older.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Alien (1979) - Nope, never saw it.
The Pianist (2002)
The Shining (1980) - One of the very few horror movies I can take, and that's only because Jack is so freakin awesome in his psycho shtick.
Double Indemnity (1944) It's Fred MacMurray as you've never seen him!
L.A. Confidential (1997) - Saw it once, can't remember much.
Leben der Anderen, Das [The Lives of Others] (2006)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Boot, Das (1981)
The Maltese Falcon (1941) - Saw it once, fell asleep half way through.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Forrest Gump (1994) - Let me just say that I detest the whole idiot-savant genre.
Metropolis (1927)
Aliens (1986)
Raging Bull (1980) - Here's a piece of trivia for you: The Missus' cousin is married to Jake Lamotta's niece. We went to the wedding. Yikes.
Rashômon (1950)
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Rebecca (1940) - I have a vague notion of Rebecca herself being something of a rabbit and it soon got tedious.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Sin City (2005)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) The sort of thing I don't mind watching on cable when it pops up, but I didn't think the T2 was anywhere near as scary as Ahnold's original. Linda Hamilton looks pretty sweet, though.
All About Eve (1950)
Modern Times (1936)
Some Like It Hot (1959) - The whole Marilyn Monroe thing is another concept that continues to elude me.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - Saw it once. Fell asleep. Perhaps I should try again.
The Seventh Seal (1957)
The Great Escape (1963)
Amadeus (1984) - I go back and forth on this because it makes such a mush of the history in favor of the romantic tragedy.
On the Waterfront (1954)
Touch of Evil (1958)
The Elephant Man (1980)
The Prestige (2006)
Vita è bella, La [Life Is Beautiful] (1997)
Jaws (1975) (Nope. I've never seen it, either. As Kathy says, sue me.)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
The Sting (1973)
Strangers on a Train (1951) - Thoroughly creepy.
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
The Apartment (1960)
City Lights (1931)
Braveheart (1995) - Another of those that I'll watch if it's on AMC.
Cinema Paradiso (1988) - I'm sure I saw it once. Don't remember anything, though.
Batman Begins (2005) - Which one was that?
The Big Sleep (1946)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - Okay, it's Jimmah and all, but there's a certain kind of gosh-darn earnestness that gives me the willies. Plus, I've never had much truck with that man-of-the-people thing.
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Blade Runner (1982) - Nope, never saw it.
The Great Dictator (1940)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Notorious (1946)
Salaire de la peur, Le [The Wages of Fear](1953)
High Noon (1952)
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) Considering the next three that came down the pike, we should be grateful for this one.
Fargo (1996) - Guess I was expecting something different.
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Unforgiven (1992)
Back to the Future (1985) Helloooo! McFlyyyy!!! One of the classic mid-80's comedies.
Ran (1985) - Was that the King Lear one? I tried hard to watch, but it was so looong!
Oldboy (2003)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Cool Hand Luke (1967) - I must say I liked this an awful lot more than I thought I would.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) - Sigh. Once again, I just really don't get it.
Donnie Darko (2001)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Sean Connery and Denholm Elliot carry this movie between them, IMHO.
The Green Mile (1999)
Annie Hall (1977) - I used to love this. Now, not so much. I'm beginning to suspect Woody's films don't age all that well.
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) - Yes, it's Alec. But that's not enough to save it.
Gladiator (2000) - Only because the battle scenes are coo-el. I don't like Russell Crowe and I don't like the historickal mangling, either.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Diaboliques, Les [The Devils] (1955)
Ben-Hur (1959) - Oh, how can you not. "Rammming speeeeeed!!!"
It Happened One Night (1934)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Life of Brian (1979) - Not as good as Holy Grail, IMHO, but still some very entertaining parts.
Die Hard (1988)
The General (1927)
American Gangster (2007)
Platoon (1986)
V for Vendetta (2005)
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
The Graduate (1967) - Okay, I fail to see the admirable qualities of a spoiled, whiney, shiftless bum who treats everyone around him like dirt, especially the girl who is deluded enough to stick with him. Am I missing something? I always thought what that boy really needed was a dose of boot camp.
The Princess Bride (1987)
Crash (2004/I)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) - It's been too long since I saw it for me to recall my opinion.
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Heat (1995)
Gandhi (1982)
Harvey (1950) - Not funny. Really.
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The African Queen (1951) - An excellent film. Read the book (by C.S. Forster) for a significantly different twist on the ending, though.
Stand by Me (1986)
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957) - Saw this in college and retain a very favorable impression. I think somebody tried to do a remake that tanked.
The Big Lebowski (1998) - As I've said before, the Dude bears a frightening resemblance to my long-lost Uncle Dave.
The Conversation (1974)
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Wo hu cang long [Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ] (2000)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Gone with the Wind (1939) (Ducks.)
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Cabinet des Dr. Caligari., Das [The Cabinet of Dr Caligari] (1920)
The Thing (1982)
Groundhog Day (1993) - I appreciate what everyone says about this film, but the truth is I've tried to watch it half a dozen times and dozed off each and every time. Never made it all the way through.
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Sleuth (1972)
Patton (1970)
Toy Story (1995) - I thought the sequel better.
Glory (1989)
Out of the Past (1947)
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Ed Wood (1994)
Spartacus (1960) Only because I love watching Olivier and Ustinov hamming it up. Most of the rest is bunkum. (Tony Curtis: "I also teach da classics.") But the legions manuevering into position for the big battle scene is pretty cool (and accurate), too.
The Terminator (1984) - Who knew that Skynet was actually going to employ Webkinz to take over the world?
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
The Exorcist (1973) - This film scares the absolute Jeebus out of me, to the extent that I simply cannot watch it ever again.
Frankenstein (1931)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
The Hustler (1961)
Toy Story 2 (1999) - See above.
The Lion King (1994) - Nope, never saw it. Walt can push me only so far.
Big Fish (2003)
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Young Frankenstein (1974) - The best Mel Brooks film evah.
Magnolia (1999)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
In Cold Blood (1967)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Dial M for Murder (1954)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Roman Holiday (1953)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Casino (1995)
Manhattan (1979)
Ying xiong [Hero] (2002)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - I get them all confused. Here again are films for which I simply cannot stay awake.
Rope (1948)
Cinderella Man (2005)
The Searchers (1956)
Finding Neverland (2004)
Inherit the Wind (1960)
His Girl Friday (1940)
A Man for All Seasons (1966) - I haven't seen this in years and years. It's in my Netflix queue now.
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) - Well, it has its moments certainly. But there are long stretches of tarsomeness, too.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) You wouldn't necessarily think the Dook and Jimmah could work well together. The fact of the matter, though, is that they do extremely well opposite one another.

Posted by Robert at March 1, 2008 04:47 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Hmmm...are you, by chance, ducking from moi after saying you didn't like Gone With The Wind?

Read the book...just read the book!!

My dad loved Harvey, so much that he bought me my own copy. I think he identified with the whole drinking thing.

Posted by: GroovyVic at March 1, 2008 08:45 PM

Tony Curtis is at least plausible in Spartacus, but my question is "what the hell is he doing in The Vikings?"

The Third Man is one of my favorites.

Your takedown of The Graduate is similar to the Whit Stilman's in the movie The Last Days of Disco. I didn't see any of the Whit Stilman trilogy (Metropolitan -- Barcelona -- Last Days of Disco) on this list, but I think you'd enjoy them all, Robbo, especially Metropolitan.

You should rent Shawshank.

I've rented Das Boot on 3 different occasions, and it has been like Groundhog Day is for you, Robbo -- I don't make it fifteen minutes without falling asleep.

And you really ought to see A Christmas Story.

Posted by: The Abbot at March 1, 2008 09:03 PM

No, your not a dork. Pulp Fiction was vastly overrated.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King(2003) - Any screenplay that could screw up the drama of the freakin' ride of the Rohirrim deserves all the tomatoes money can buy."

Ok, now THIS makes you a dork.

Posted by: nuthinhere at March 2, 2008 02:27 AM

You complain about literary mangling of Jackson's LOTR films and the historical mangling of Gladiator, but you fail to mention the complete historical trainwreck that Braveheart is?

Posted by: old school lady at March 2, 2008 09:13 AM

Robbo,

An impressive list. Two movies I would recommend you see as you can...
(a) Schindler's List...The movie reminds of a theme from Milton's Paradise Lost - out of evil, God can bring great good.
(b) A Man for All Seasons - Faith, humor and uncompromising courage are an unbeatable combination. It also argues why we need lawyers.

Posted by: kmr at March 2, 2008 10:15 AM