The Godfather (1972)

original #3

This is one I've been meaning to get to for a very long time. I knew nothing at all about the story going in and I was surprised by half the cast. IMDb has a lot to say about the film, its impact on society and the turmoil it stirred up. Of course it's one of the most-known films of all time and I knew many of the more famous lines and plot points without realizing where they were from.

All hype aside, this is a great movie! Francis Ford Coppola really knows what he's doing! Who knew! Marlon Brando is a legend and he's excellent. I grew up with Al Pacino, of course, but considering he was still relatively unknown before this he's unbelievable. Pacino has always been one of my favorites and it's really nice to see some of his earlier work. James Caan is truly remarkable. And Diane Keaton is so... NOT Diane Keaton! (Which, in my book, is a-ok.) I was blown away by some of the camera-work, which is really amazing considering the time period. But what I loved most of all was the use (and often lack) of music. Sometimes movies feel crowded by the soundtrack and the need for constant background noise. It can be so much more effective/heart-breaking/terrifying/meaningful/funny/etc. when it's completely silent. Coppola is masterful at manipulating the audience into feeling exactly the right emotion at exactly the right moment.

I'm currently in the middle of Part II (also on the list) and I'm definitely hooked. My vote: see it if you haven't!

Citizen Kane (1941)

#1, undisputed

Can't sleep again. I just finished Kane and I'm speechless. I would agree that it's the greatest film ever made. In terms of technique it's unparalleled. Welles accomplished some feats which can't be outdone even by CGI. It really is an epic masterpiece. Welles himself, by the way, gives an unbelievable performance. It wasn't until I read about the film after that I realized he played the character at every age. I'm not feeling up to writing much more at the moment, maybe I'll come back to this another time. Kudos to AFI for leaving it at the top where it belongs.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

#72, replaced Ben-Hur

I finally saw this one! Another that I've been meaning to get to for a long time. And it was just as good as I was hoping. I knew nothing about the plot or cast going in and as I got closer to watching it I decided to keep it that way. And, man, was I shocked. The story is incredible, the film-making is amazing, the acting is off the charts. I really was captivated the entire way through. I'm not going to say much about it in case anyone hasn't seen it, except to say that it's a story about friendship and beating the odds (in many different ways) and I loved every minute of it. Morgan Freeman is unbelievable. He inspires me as an actor more than most people. Tim Robbins is under-appreciated, I think and he was excellent in this as in most everything I've seen of his (if you haven't seen Arlington Road you need to). Plus the supporting cast goes on forever. I could keep raving about the movie but the 11 Oscar nominations and consideration as one of the best films maybe ever should speak for themselves. Rent this one immediately.

The Graduate (1967)

original #7

I'd never seen this one before and I've been meaning to for a very long time. Needless to say, it's amazing. Definitely a classic. First of all, Mike Nichols is the Man. I pretty much love everything he's ever directed. Secondly, Anne Bancroft is sexy. Third, Dustin Hoffman is awesome. And young. And funny. And awesome.

The movie reminds me of Harold and Maude, not in terms of plot (though similar, I guess) but more in terms of style of storytelling and film-making. It got me thinking about the plots of most contemporary movies and how there has to be something big happening at all times. Every scene needs to have a big plot point, constant action, twists and turns... Movies in the 60s were just about a person's life or a situation or figuring out how to grow up. The Graduate is mostly beautiful in its simplicity. The montages of Benjamin lying in the pool or in his room or staring out the window say so much about him. Yes there's the big love triangle which is the central focus of the movie but I enjoyed watching him figure out how to deal with maturity. That feeling of being thrown out of college and expected to know what you're doing with your life is universal. Everyone experiences that for a year or a month or even just an hour and it's terrifying. That's what I took away from the film more than anything else; that it's okay to not know how to be an adult or how to act in a certain situation. Sometimes it's painfully funny, sometimes its unbearably terrifying, but it's normal.

Also that Anne Bancroft is HOT. She's been one of my favorites for a long time. If you haven't seen Mel Brooks's To Be or Not To Be go rent it immediately. And you should remember her from Keeping The Faith too ("Shabbat Shalom everyone!" "SHABBAT SHALOM!" "Thanks, mom."). The best part about this is that I know her as a brilliant comedic actress and this part was slightly funny but mostly devastatingly serious and almost dangerous. And did I mention she's gorgeous?

Cabaret (1972)

#63, added in 2007 replacing Stagecoach

My insomnia is in full swing so I thought I'd take a break from staring at my ceiling and kick this off! I just finished watching Cabaret (again), thanks to "Watch Instantly" from Netflix (I promise they're not sponsoring this blog, but it's seriously the best deal on movie rentals). I've seen Cabaret several times before and it's one of my favorites. It's one of the last good movie-musicals in my opinion. For a while after, it seems, there weren't many "legit" musicals being made. There were several pop/rock musicals (Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair) and lots of indie/shticky/animated musicals (Rocky Horror, The Muppet Movie, several Disney movies, etc.) Grease was in '78 and Victor/Victoria in '82 and, of course, all the 80s musicals (Footloose, Flashdance, Xanadu, even Labrynth). I'm clearly oversimplifying, but I'd say Cabaret was one of the last of "that era". I'd say the reason more recent musicals have failed is because the music is so awkward cutting into "realistic" dramatic scenes (Rent, The Producers, Across the Universe,). Classic musicals (The Wizard of Oz, Guys and Dolls, all of the Rodgers and Hammersteins) never had that problem. The songs somehow worked perfectly in context so neither the music nor the dialogue felt out of place. Cabaret is the same.

Most remarkable to me, is the juxtaposition of the chaotic, boisterous life inside the cabaret and the impending war in the country. This is obviously the point of the movie but the skill with which the stage performances and outside violence are cut together is truly masterful (this is most clear during the mud fight on stage and the first Nazi beating on the steps outside). I also particularly liked the faith the film has in its audience. No one likes watching a movie where every minute detail is spelled out. It's much more effective when we can put some pieces together ourselves and figure out that every number we see in the cabaret is a commentary on the state of Germany at the time.

Lastly, I have to mention that Joel Grey is unbelievable in the role. It's no wonder he won both an Oscar and Tony for the part because he literally becomes someone else. I've seen the show on stage a couple times and every production seems to feel the need to have the Emcee drop the comic act at some point to really force the impact of the statements he's making. Joel Grey keeps it light and ironic the whole time which is so much more devastating ("if you could see her through my eyes, she wouldn't look Jewish at all.") Liza Minelli is great too (I realized I've only ever seen her in this movie and Arrested Development and I know next-to-nothing about her as a person or performer) but it seems very similar to what's always portrayed as her own personality and therefore slightly less impressive. The choreography is incredible and I don't think I ever realized that Bob Fosse directed (hence the brilliant choreography).

Overall, I saw A+ to Cabaret which is powerful and moving three decades later.


Props to Wikipedia for "musical film" listings by year.

Welcome!

This new blog project (blogject, if you will) came about as I read yet another list of the "Top 50 ____ Films Of All Time." Doesn't matter what list because we've all seen a million of them. I realized that there are hundreds of "classic" that I've never seen. I consider myself a movie fan but my knowledge is pretty limited. This blog is an attempt to buff up on the important movies. We're starting out with the AFI 100 and planning to watch them all and discuss them here. There are several of us involved (I'll let everyone introduce themselves) so there will be several opinions for each film. We're not on a deadline, so it'll happen when it happens, and that means there won't be a clear order to the posts.

The Rules:
1. You must watch the whole film.
2. Regardless of how many times you've seen it and how many lines you can quote, you must rewatch the movie before posting.
3. Each blog post must be titled with the name of the film.

That's it. Other than those three, all bets are off. There's no requirement for how much or how little gets written about each one. If it takes some of us three years (we may or may not still be here) and some of us three weeks, so be it. If you want to get involved or steal the idea for your own project, let us know. Here goes...