We all have movies we’ll watch time and again. This is by no
means a comprehensive list, but if I had to pick a dozen movies to watch for
the rest of my life, I’d be happy with these. (In alphabetical order.)
Animal House (1978)
A film that speaks to me. I graduated college in 1978, and a guy lived in my
first off-campus dorm parked his motorcycle in his room. I would vote for John
Blutarsky in a heartbeat if he were running against either Mitch McConnell or
Lindsey Graham. Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.
The Big Lebowski
(1998) How The Beloved Spouse™ and I spend two hours of every New Year’s Eve.
The Dude abides.
Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid (1969) Greatest buddy movie ever. Who are those guys?
The Drop (2014) As
perfect an exercise in storytelling as I have ever seen. They never see you
coming, do they, Bob? (Honorable mention: Gone
Baby Gone.)
The French Connection (1971)
I date all crime movies as pre-French
Connection or post-French Connection. You pick your feet in
Poughkeepsie?
The Friends of Eddie
Coyle (1973) Maybe the best film ever made about the side of mob life no
wants to think about. Life is hard. It’s even harder when you’re stupid.
Get Shorty (1995) What
I watch on my birthday, and still my favorite Elmore Leonard adaptation. I’m
not gonna say any more than I have to, if that.
Hell or High Water
(2016) Sicario probably gets more
attention and Wind River might make
this list on a different day, but Hell or
High Water is as well-constructed a crime story as you will ever see. What
don’t you want?
Hombre (1967)
There are arguably better Westerns, but not many. Maybe the best Elmore Leonard
adaptation, certainly the truest to the book, and maybe his best book. Mister,
you got some hard bark on you.
The Ice Harvest (2005)
The Beloved Spouse™ bought it for me and fell in love with it. Now it’s the
Official Christmas Eve Movie of Castle Schadenfreude. As Wichita falls... so
falls Wichita Falls.
LA Confidential (1997)
You knew it would show up here sooner or later, right? I’ll watch this bad boy multiple
times a year and never get tired of it. Was that how you used to run the “good
cop – bad cop?”
Monty Python and the
Holy Grail (1975) My brother and I used to binge this as best we could when
the only places you could see it were on PBS pledge drives and midnight shows. I
don't want to talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal food trough wiper.
Aw, hell. As I went through the list I realized there are
two more I can’t leave out.
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
As faithful an adaptation of as perfect a book as has ever been written. Or at
least as close as the Hayes Office would allow. We didn't exactly believe your
story, Miss Wonderly. We believed your two hundred dollars.
The Princess Bride (1987)
I always forget how much I enjoy this movie until The Beloved Spouse™ talks me
into watching it. Then I could watch it again the next night. The epitome of
good, clean movie fun. As you wish.
I was going over this list with The Beloved Spouse™, who
responded with some alarm, “Where’s Mel Brooks?”
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Of all the movies that couldn’t be made today, this one is most unable to be
made today, and we’re all worse off because of it. Satirical social commentary
was never better. Huh, Mongo straight.
The Producers
(1967) I liked the remake, but this is the one I’d take with me for Zero Mostel
and a young Gene Wilder. Will the dancing Hitlers please wait in the wings? We
are only seeing singing Hitlers.
2 comments:
Good list, Dana. But I had to ask myself, What was going on in 2014 that caused me to miss “The Drop”? Gotta find it – gotta see it.
Oh, yeah. You gotta see The Drop. It didn't last long in theaters. Lehane himself called it a "noble failure." He acknowledged they were making a 70s movie, and people aren't watching 70s movies anymore. I love 70s movies and would actually go to theaters again if more like The Drop were made.
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