1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
2. A Streetcar Named Desire
3. It's a Wonderful Life
4. Some Like it Hot
5. The Terminator
6. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
7. The Princess Bride
8. Ben-Hur
9. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
10. Sixteen Candles
11. Blade Runner
12. The Natural
13. Chariots of Fire
14. The Graduate
15. Cool Hand Luke
16. Casablanca
First I want to take a moment and rejoice in the fact that I have finally seen Casablanca. This movie was the main reason that I made this list.
I loved both of these movies, but for very different reasons.
Cool Hand Luke is the story of...wait, hold on, what was I saying? Paul Newman just took his shirt off.
Seriously, how have I gone this many years of my life without noticing this sweet piece of man candy?
I guess in The Sting the creeper moustache was throwing me off. And of course he is devastatingly handsome in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but the whole gay/alcoholic/abusive husband thing is kind of a turn off. But man oh man could I watch Cool Hand Luke all day long. Fifty eggs or no eggs.
Watching all of these classic movies has made me realize: certain kinds of appeal just don't stand the test of time. Take Humphrey Bogart for example. As you will soon read I loved Casablanca, but Bogie as a leading man did absolutely nothing for me. Neither did Robert Redford in The Natural- was he once considered handsome? I wouldn't have guessed. Same for Charleton Heston in Ben-Hur.
Anyway, Cool Hand Luke was a good watch overall. I loved the little exchanges between prisoners asking permission of the guards to do things. "Wipin' it off here boss," etc.
Also I had one of those "have I seen this before" moments with the oft-quoted line, "What we have here is a failure to communicate."
Worth a watch. If only for those blue, blue eyes.
Casablanca on the other hand I was able to enjoy without even a remote interest in the leading man.
I had a feeling I was going to love this movie. And I did. But why? What makes this one of the most cherished love stories of all time? Lets dissect it.
First of all, it has Nazis. Nothing unites the world faster than some good old fashioned Pure Evil.
Second, an exotic location. Even today Morocco still has that air of mystery about it. The heat, the clothing, the busy markets selling spices and colorful fabrics. It all has the same appeal it did back then. In Casablanca itself probably more thanks to the movie.
Third, this movie has a love triangle that is actually plausible. Usually we would all be shouting at Ingrid Bergman through our TV screens to leave her jerk husband and run off with the romantic stranger who wants to give her everything she ever dreamed of. But things in Casablanca are not so black and white. Ilsa never really cheated on her husband because she thought he was dead. Victor is not a jerk- not only is he a war hero, he also loves Ilsa enough to understand what she had with Rick and to be willing to give up his passage to Lisbon so she can go. And while we know Rick cares about Ilsa and about Victor's cause, he is hiding it all behind his cool guy facade.
This is what makes the movie great. The ability to really feel the pain of the decision that Ilsa has to make, and really feel sorry for whoever doesn't wind up happy.
The amount of self-sacrifice that all the characters are willing to commit for each other is also truly captivating. When put in a situation like this the best and the worst comes out of people and you never know which self you will be. Getting to see everyone act so bravely and honorably makes the story that much more tragic.
In the end we can admit that things turned out the way they probably should have, though that doesn't make it much easier.
I'm so glad I finally watched this movie! If you haven't, what are you waiting for? I own it now, so you can borrow it from me!
2. A Streetcar Named Desire
3. It's a Wonderful Life
4. Some Like it Hot
5. The Terminator
6. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
7. The Princess Bride
8. Ben-Hur
9. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
10. Sixteen Candles
11. Blade Runner
12. The Natural
13. Chariots of Fire
14. The Graduate
15. Cool Hand Luke
16. Casablanca
First I want to take a moment and rejoice in the fact that I have finally seen Casablanca. This movie was the main reason that I made this list.
I loved both of these movies, but for very different reasons.
Seriously, how have I gone this many years of my life without noticing this sweet piece of man candy?
I guess in The Sting the creeper moustache was throwing me off. And of course he is devastatingly handsome in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but the whole gay/alcoholic/abusive husband thing is kind of a turn off. But man oh man could I watch Cool Hand Luke all day long. Fifty eggs or no eggs.
Watching all of these classic movies has made me realize: certain kinds of appeal just don't stand the test of time. Take Humphrey Bogart for example. As you will soon read I loved Casablanca, but Bogie as a leading man did absolutely nothing for me. Neither did Robert Redford in The Natural- was he once considered handsome? I wouldn't have guessed. Same for Charleton Heston in Ben-Hur.
Anyway, Cool Hand Luke was a good watch overall. I loved the little exchanges between prisoners asking permission of the guards to do things. "Wipin' it off here boss," etc.
Also I had one of those "have I seen this before" moments with the oft-quoted line, "What we have here is a failure to communicate."
Worth a watch. If only for those blue, blue eyes.
Casablanca on the other hand I was able to enjoy without even a remote interest in the leading man.
I had a feeling I was going to love this movie. And I did. But why? What makes this one of the most cherished love stories of all time? Lets dissect it.
First of all, it has Nazis. Nothing unites the world faster than some good old fashioned Pure Evil.
Second, an exotic location. Even today Morocco still has that air of mystery about it. The heat, the clothing, the busy markets selling spices and colorful fabrics. It all has the same appeal it did back then. In Casablanca itself probably more thanks to the movie.
Third, this movie has a love triangle that is actually plausible. Usually we would all be shouting at Ingrid Bergman through our TV screens to leave her jerk husband and run off with the romantic stranger who wants to give her everything she ever dreamed of. But things in Casablanca are not so black and white. Ilsa never really cheated on her husband because she thought he was dead. Victor is not a jerk- not only is he a war hero, he also loves Ilsa enough to understand what she had with Rick and to be willing to give up his passage to Lisbon so she can go. And while we know Rick cares about Ilsa and about Victor's cause, he is hiding it all behind his cool guy facade.
This is what makes the movie great. The ability to really feel the pain of the decision that Ilsa has to make, and really feel sorry for whoever doesn't wind up happy.
The amount of self-sacrifice that all the characters are willing to commit for each other is also truly captivating. When put in a situation like this the best and the worst comes out of people and you never know which self you will be. Getting to see everyone act so bravely and honorably makes the story that much more tragic.
In the end we can admit that things turned out the way they probably should have, though that doesn't make it much easier.
I'm so glad I finally watched this movie! If you haven't, what are you waiting for? I own it now, so you can borrow it from me!
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