Last Saturday, I saw a note from Paula challenging me to do a Thursday 13. Since I missed that deadline, I'll give it a whirl this week. So here it is............
13 movies I can watch over and over and over and never get sick of, ever. In no particular order.
1) Being There
Actually, this is first for a reason. It jumped to mind first. Peter Sellers is brilliant here, and incredibly subtle. I never fail to catch some small thing I missed the first 20-odd times I saw it. Sellers was one of the two best actors EVER.
2) The Adventures of Robin Hood
Classic Errol Flynn swashbuckler, and no one ever did them better. Technically, Captain Blood belongs here as well.
3) The Wizard of Oz
In this age of rampant remakes, this remains untouched. Why? Because even TRYING would be stupid. This film captured something sweet, innocent and beautiful that just can't be competed with. They can improve the special effects, but there is no better magic.
4) The Philadelphia Story
The movie that put Katherine Hepburn and James Stewart (the OTHER best ever) on the map. A screwball comedy that's almost too smart to be called that, with a fantastic cast rounded out by Cary Grant. This is about the only film where I also recommend the remake, a musical called High Society.
5) The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
This was difficult, as this list could easily be all westerns. The story is cool, the cinematography is top notch, but what really grabs me is the subplots- the little stories that have nothing to do with the main story, but round out Sergio Leone's portait of Civil War America. It was these vignettes that nudged Once Upon a Time in the West off the list, though I doubt I'll get sick of that one, either.
6) Goodfellas
I'm not big on Gangster flicks, usually, but I love this one. It's not only stylish, it's true. And according to the History Channel, it's pretty damned accurate as well.
7) Harold and Maude
As mentioned a week or so ago, one of my favorite cult films. A strange and darkly hilarious film about appreciating life. That Ruth Gordon was something else, wasn't she?
8) The Thin Man
Netflix just got this one to me today, and I'll watch it even though I already know who the murderer is and where the body is hidden. It's the chemistry between one of Hollywood's greatest pairings, William Powell and Myrna Loy, that makes it. Hollwood doesn't often get it THAT right.
9) Harvey
A great actor's greatest performance. Stewart is brilliant in this endearing comedy about a lush and his invisible six-foot rabbit. I can get so busy watching him that I forget to listen to the dialogue. I also have a soft spot for this one since I participated in my high school's merciless assassination of the play.
10) Young Frankenstein
No explanation is really needed, is it? You'll know the joke is coming, but you'll laugh at it anyway. Few comedies have that power. I considered Blazing Saddles, of course, but so many of the jokes are too obscure for younger audience members.
11) A Clockwork Orange
The music, the message, the ingenious direction. This movie looks like the 70's and the future at the same time. I especially love the fight against Billy Boy and his droogs, choreographed to Rossini's "The Thieving Magpie". Violent actions set to beautiful music, this scene underscores the theme of a complete person's need for his/her "darker" side.
12) Rope
Did I mention that I think highly of Jimmy Stewart? So did Alfred Hitchcock, who used him in four films. This one is a pressure cooker of suspense, shot to have the look and the flow of the play it was based on. To insure that, Hitchcock shot this in 15 minute segments, with no editing. If someone messed up in minute 14, back to the beginning!
13) Duck Soup
Unlike Young Frankenstein, you'll NEVER remember all the jokes no matter how many times you see it. This is the epitome of the screwball comedy, and mighty clever, to boot. I wish I could get away with half the crap Groucho could get away with.
Well, I guess that didn't hurt too much, even considering the fact that I accidently flushed the whole thing at #6 and had to start over. Still, it's good that these things are only monthly.
Right?
