#15: Star Wars (1977)

Emily says:
I hadn't seen this one in a few years, and what was most striking about it tonight was how well the special effects hold up 3+ decades later.  They are pretty impressive even now.  The dialogue really leaves something to be desired though...

The other thing that I particuarly enjoyed was the music - it's your stereotypical John Williams, but in Star Wars it seems so fitting and original.  The orchestration fits the galactic theme of the film and seems more authentic than some of the later Williams soundtracks.

I am always amused by Star Wars and "the Force" because I had a prof in college who was always reminding us that we can't reduce God to some sort of lowest common denominator "The Force."  God, although not a being, is more than an ambiguous power that has both a good side and a dark side.  I don't mean this in any sort of serious theological way, but it amuses me as I rewatch the film.


Paul says:

#16: All About Eve (1950)

Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring:  Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, & Thelma Ritter
IMDB

Emily says:
I found the plot of this film simultaneously predictable and meandering.  Margo, the aging broadway star is mean-spirited and jealous, while Eve, her young protege is equally unlikeable - her feigned innocence quickly becomes tiresome.

Marilyn Monroe appears as a young actress - she is beautiful and much less voluptuous and overtly sexual than in many films (see Some Like it Hot).

At the end of the movie, when Eve achieves stardom, a younger actress waits on her in the way she once did for Margo.  When the young girl tries on Eve's dress, instead of feeling a wonderful comeuppance, it just seems overly contrived.

I enjoyed the stunning costumes and theatrics of this film, but at the same time, I found its characters unlikeable and its plot uninteresting.  This is one I probably won't watch again.


Paul says:

#17: The African Queen (1951)

Emily says:

I didn't expect much out of this film after seeing some of the Katharine Hepburn/Humphrey Bogart films later in the list.  I have to say though, that Hepburn comes off as less of an airhead in this film than in Bringing Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story.

I found Hepburn's character both funny and strong, and immensely enjoyed her growth from a somewhat uptight know-it-all into a woman who enjoyed and appreciated Bogart's character.  One thing I especially enjoyed was what this movie said about companionship - Bogart and Hepburn's characters learned to work together to get out of some pretty tight situations in the film, and I think that working together is a big part of love - even if it's not all that romantic.

Some of the green screen effects were really awful, but besides that this movie was a pleasure to watch!

#18: Psycho (1960)

Emily says:
The only thing I knew about this movie was the epic scene in the shower, when Marion (Janet Leigh) is murdered.  My most vivid memory of this scene is from when I went to Universal Studios when I was about 12 and our tour talked about how this scene was made.  I don't remember much about how it was made, because after they showed the scene I was so freaked out.

Although I thought the piercing string music was a little over the top in the shower scene, I really enjoyed how it added suspense to the rest of the film.  I also found Norman Bates' character one who was both creepy and easy to feel sad for, which is a hard line to walk.

Perhaps the most interesting thing I found out from watching this movie was that the star of this film (Janet Leigh) is the mother of Jamie Lee Curtis - whose wikipedia entry I read and discovered she is married to Christopher Guest, who is apparently a Baron.  Who knew?

Paul says:

#23: The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Emily says:
This was the movie that started it all.  We watched this last summer, right after we moved to Vancouver and when Paul mentioned that it was on the Top 100 list, the idea to watch the entire list was hatched.

Watching it again, almost a year later, I enjoyed it just as much.  Humphrey Bogart makes an excellent private investigator, and Mary Astor is constantly unraveling until you come to understand the layers of the plot.  I think of this as a classic film noir, so it's no surprise that its often cited as the first American film of this genre.

I also love that famous line from this movie: "The stuff dreams are made of..."  All this trouble over a fake falcon.  Seems like a good metaphor for all of the other silly material things we spend our lives running after.  Ultimately, they don't matter.

Paul says:

#24: Raging Bull (1980)

Emily says:
Robert DeNiro was quite good as Jake LaMotta, a boxer whose anger issues infuse his marriage and affairs.  Even though I found DeNiro's character impossible to like, his acting was impressive and the autobiographical nature of the film was interesting - especially seeing how the man presented in the beginning of the film as a sad and not-very-funny comedian came to this pitiful place in life.

Once again, I found the graphic violence in the film off-putting and spent many of the fight scenes looking away from the screen.  Still, the violence seemed at least less gratuitous than some of Scorcese's later films.


Paul says:

#25: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Emily says:
There were a huge number of excellent scenes in this movie that I had completely forgotten about.  I remembered the part with the Reese's Pieces and the part where ET is in the closet, but I had completely forgotten about the wonderful part when ET gets drunk and so does Elliot at school.  The scene when drunk Elliot releases all the frogs is hilarious!

Perhaps the most surprising part of this movie for me this time around was how touched I was by Spielberg's depiction of Elliot's loneliness, and realistic strained family tensions around the kids' father having left the family and taken his new girlfriend to Mexico.  I was struck by how well the story of an alien left behind by his ship and a little boy who is lonely could mesh together.

On another note, the version we watched was updated with a few CGI scenes (including ET taking a bath) that were quite impressive, especially in how well they meshed with the older parts of the film.

Paul says:

#29: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Emily says:

I've been looking forward to this one for a long time! Those of you who know me know that I love a good political movie - especially one that involves a "regular joe" going off to DC to teach them something (Dave, anyone?)

 Jimmy Stewart's Jefferson Smith is extremely likeable and you can't help but root for him. A filibuster ends in the "good guy" prevailing over the corruption of the senate - I only wish we had those dramatic moments in the senate in real life more often.

I especially enjoyed the development of the relationship between Jeff Smith and his secretary Clarissa, who ultimately ends up helping him learn the ins and outs of the senate that help him exonerate himself.  I'd watch this one again, for sure.

Paul says:

#31: Annie Hall (1977)

Paul says:

Emily says:
I'm usually a big Woody Allen fan, and find his sense of humor pretty enjoyable, but I didn't enjoy Annie Hall as much as I expected.  I liked Annie's offbeat character, but I found it difficult to want Diane Keaton and Woody Allen to end up together.  This was probably the point, but it still made watching the movie seem like a pointless task.  I have to say, it was nice to have a change from the dramas, but this one wasn't as great as I expected.

#32: The Godfather Part II (1974)

Stay tuned for our responses to this one... we'll watch it after The Godfather Part 1