#30: The Godfather Part II
1974
This seldom-seen “equal sequel” was actually a sequel and a prequel to the first film. Whereas Part I depicted the golden ages of the mafia wars, Part II tells the rise and fall of the Corleone family. Robert DeNiro gives the best performance of his career as young Vito, believably creating a younger version of Marlon Brando’s legendary performance. It earned DeNiro an Academy Award -- the only time two different actors were honored for playing the same character. In the prequel section, Vito goes from a penniless, orphaned immigrant to a powerful, respectable crime lord, while in the sequel section, his son, Michael desperately tries to hold onto his father’s business despite assassination attempts, a federal investigation and a deteriorating marriage. It’s very well-done, showing how the father and son had reverse priorities. Vito only got into crime to support his family, whereas Michael only started a family to pass on the criminal empire. Michael doesn’t even love his wife; he clearly only views her as a necessary step toward acquiring sons. He was the hero of the first film, but now he’s the villain. The drama is so powerful in these films is because in every scenario, the audience can empathize with both sides. Yeah, murdering a woman or a child or your own brother sounds horrible, but hear the story out, and you'll at least understand their reasoning. Part II lacks the exciting pace of the original and the death scenes aren't as good (I was dying to see a sniper rifle kill), but it’s still amazing how well the film broadens the scope of the original and further develops the characters. It’s like an awesome expansion pack for those who already love Part I.
#29: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
1948
What do you get when you mix western with noir? Gold! Set in the 1920’s, Treasure of the Sierra Madre follows three men that go gold-diggin’ in the Mexico mountains. There’s Dobbs, the kinda egg you just know is gonna go bad, Curtin, the lovable goody-goody, and Howard, the wise, experienced old timer. Harsh weather, stinkin’ banditos and Gila monsters are the least of their worries. Their biggest threat is each other. After striking it rich, Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) descends into madness and paranoia, turning on the others to keep all the riches for himself. The excellent screenplay, based on the 1927 novel by the mysterious B. Traven, is the definitive story on greed. It has both the dark immorality of a noir and the heroic morality of a western, along with the brutal grittiness of both. The two genres actually have a lot in common; it’s a wonder there isn’t more “westernoir.” My favorite Simpsons episode, Three Men and a Comic Book, is a parody of this film. Rarely do you get to see the protagonist turn into the antagonist, and certainly never this well. There’s a lot of Spanish dialogue but never any subtitles. It’s a very interesting choice that really compliments the audience’s intelligence. We don't need to read a translation to understand the scene. The film is full of great foreshadowing, and it all comes together for a satisfying conclusion. The score is equally well-written. There are a number of great motifs, including one that alternates between major and minor keys depending on the mood. A true treasure of film history.
#28: Sunset Boulevard
1950
Fellow screenwriters, this is the movie for us! William Holden plays Joe Gillis, the iconic starving screenwriter trying desperately to break into Hollywood. One day, he has a chance meeting with Norma Desmond, an aging former star of the silent era, who’s planning a triumphant return to the screen with a script she’s written for herself to star in. Norma’s a loon, and her script is equally loony, but Joe cons her into hiring him to doctor the script until he can afford to get back on his feet. But the longer Joe stays with Norma in her crumbling, gothic mansion, the more tangled up he gets in her spidery web. Gloria Swanson is crazy-good as Norma, a disillusioned, forgotten has-been who still thinks she’s Queen. Just try to take your eyes off her for a second. You can tell she was once very beautiful, and her exaggerated performance perfectly suits the character of a silent actress. The screenplay is like, the Screenwriter’s Bible. It’s a perfect example of how to do everything right in a movie. Despite its traditional structure, the film is very unique. It’s narrated by a dead protagonist. The voice-overs are full of poetic wiseguy-speak. And of course, the most interesting thing about the film is that it’s a big Hollywood film that bashes Hollywood left and right! I’m still shocked that Paramount was so cool with it, especially in 1950. It depicts the film industry as a cruel underworld where producers rewrite scripts beyond all recognition, where good writing doesn’t put food on the table -- only garbage sells, and studios are like exclusive clubs that only admit members they can milk profit from, only to swiftly kick them out the moment they run dry. Sunset Blvd. is mandatory viewing for filmmakers, screenwriters and film buffs alike.
#27: White Heat
1949
The only porno to make the list! No, but the title sure sounds like it. James Cagney lights up the screen as Cody Jarett, a criminal mastermind, a fiery-tempered maniac, and a total mama’s boy. Following a successful train robbery, Cody confesses to a lesser crime to get easy jail time instead of the chair. But his “cellmate” is really an undercover cop trying to infiltrate his operation, and on the outside, his “righthand man” is taking control of his gang (and his woman). This fast-paced, violent powerhouse blew audiences away in 1949, and it’s just as hot today. In my opinion, Raoul Walsh is the most overlooked director, period -- nay, exclamation mark! His films are all decades ahead of their time, and White Heat is one of his best. It’s full of hardcore things you never see in old movies, as if Walsh went back in time just to mark new territory first. It’s that surprising level of badassism that makes the movie so explosive. Cody Jarett gets my vote for the greatest gangster of all time. He’s a walking inferno, destroying everyone and everything that comes between him and the “top of the world.” No wiseguy ever had better dialogue. “You wouldn’t kill me in cold blood, would you?” pleads a man who had tried and failed to murder Cody in prison. “Nah, I’ll let ya warm up a little,” growls Cody. Later, when the man is begging for air in the trunk of a car, Cody barks, “I’ll give ya a little air!” before firing several air holes into the trunk. I just love that kinda stuff. From the scorching opening to the fiery finale, this one’s a rapid burner that’s guaranteed to set your blood ablaze!
#26: The Gold Rush
1925
Charlie Chaplin played the same goofy bum in nearly all of his films, yet each story was totally original. His legacy was similar to Bugs Bunny's; a classic mascot always getting into comical, cartoony situations. In this “episode,” Chaplin goes to Yukon, Canada looking for gold, only to find himself in one hilarious sight gag after another. In one scene, Chaplin and his fellow prospectors wake to find their cabin teetering dangerously on the edge of a cliff. On the brink of starvation, they consider cannibalism (the origin of the “I’m so hungry, you dissolve into food” trick). While in town, Chaplin entertains some ladies by performing his infamous “dance of the dinner rolls.” I once made the mistake of having a snack while watching this film. I nearly choked to death laughing. Slapstick is by far my favorite kind of comedy, and Chaplin was unbelievably good at it. But what really made Chaplin’s films stand out above the other silent comedians was the emotion. His films were as sad as they were funny. There are some surprisingly deep scenes in The Gold Rush involving Chaplin’s one-way love for a saloon dancer, including the origin of the “thinking the girl is waving to you when she’s really waving to the guy behind you” joke. But after every heart-tugging scene is a good knee-slapper to cheer you right up again. As much as I adore Chaplin, I have to bash one thing about him. He was one of the first filmmakers to revisit one of his films years later to make alterations to it -- a terrible trend that directors continue to follow today. Chaplin reedited this one in 1942 and turned it into a talkie! What a disaster. Thankfully, the DVD comes with both versions. Watch the original. If you're into laughs, it’s a goldmine.
#25: City Lights
1931
I wasn’t going to include two Chaplin films for variety’s sake, let alone back to back, but I had to be honest. It was hard deciding between City Lights and The Gold Rush, as they’re both so great, so similar in style and so different in story. This time, Chaplin’s hobo hits the big city, where he falls in love with a blind flower girl who mistakes him for a millionaire. Naturally, he plays along to keep her interested. While keeping the farce alive, Chaplin scrambles to earn enough money to support her from various and hysterical oddjobs. But when a groundbreaking new surgery is announced that could restore her vision, Chaplin must choose between lying to keep the girl… or coming clean and risk losing her forever. By 1931, “Talkies” were all the buzz. The studios said silent films were dead, but Chaplin proved them all wrong by writing, directing, starring in, writing and composing the score for this gem that was voted the #1 greatest romantic comedy by the AFI. It’s full of great slapstick pieces, including a public unveiling of a new sculpture that Chaplin had been using as a bed, an attempt to rescue a drunk from committing suicide, and (my favorite) a boxing match in which Chaplin must face an opponent twice his size. The love story is my favorite ever told. Chaplin is just such a sweetheart. He taught me the importance being kind to the world, no matter how unkind it is to you. The film really showcases the magic of the silent era, when they only resorted to dialogue as a last resort, and as a result, every line is infused with tremendous effort and purpose. It's one of the only films to bring happy tears to my eyes.
#24: The Apartment
1960
Jack Lemmon is “Buddy boy” Baxter, a regular nine-to-fiver who’s discovered the secret to getting promotions: lending his apartment to his superiors for their extra-marital affairs. But the higher Baxter climbs up the ladder, corporate-wise, the lower he sinks, depression-wise, because the woman he desires most is the boss’s mistress. Despite being such an old film, I still think The Apartment is the most accurate and entertaining study on contemporary relationships. Billy Wilder is one of my favorite writer/directors. Three of his films made this list (the others being Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard), and The Apartment ranked highest. It’s a superb balance of drama and comedy -- a comical, cute and caring look at dark, dirty and depressing material. Wilder always creates interesting characters in even interestinger situations having the interestingest dialogue. The script is full of clever little twists, and there’s a running gag that’s worked its way into my everyday speech. The characters at the office have an inside joke: moving the subject to the end of the sentence, followed by the suffix “-wise.” For example, “That’s the way it crumbles, cookie-wise.” I drop jokes like that all the time but no one ever gets them. Set from November to New Year’s Eve, the film focuses on all the lonely characters instead of the cheery ones. It’s a great holiday film for those spending it alone. It’s a terrific dramedy, writing-wise, acting-wise, direction-wise, and otherwise-wise. It was also the last black-and-white film to win Best Picture. It was the end of it, era-wise!
#23: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982
He’s all alone in a strange world… until he meets an alien. A lonely boy named Elliot discovers an extra-terrestrial stranded on Earth. The two outsiders quickly become best friends, but “E.T.” can’t survive forever in the Earth’s climate, and a sinister government agency is bent on capturing him. This heartwarming children’s story is a joy for all ages. Filmed from low angles to match a child’s perspective, the film was even shot chronologically to illicit genuine emotion from the child actors, whose “performances” are so real that they’re hardly performances at all. Henry Thomas is excellent as Elliot, and Drew Barrymore makes her film debut as Elliot’s adorable little sister. But it’s the alien that steals the show. E.T. is one of the all-time greatest movie creatures. He's such a chill little dude, and I love all the different magic powers he has. Spielberg’s previous film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, also dealt with the concept of alien visitors, though that was a film much more focused on the computer-graphics. E.T. also has amazing effects, but it focuses more on the characters, which is why I think it’s aged so much better. The film is as rich thematically as it is visually. Composer John Williams was a constant collaborator of Spielberg’s, and his score here is one of his best, featuring the unforgettable “flying bicycle” theme. The emotional finale music makes me cry every time. In fact, I teared up just watching a couple minutes of the film to capture a screenshot. But I cried even harder when I played the E.T. game on the Atari.
#22: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
1975
“One flew east and one flew west, and one flew over the cuckoo’s nest,” goes a nursery rhyme by Mother Goose. Jack Nicholson ROCKS as R.P. “Mac” McMurphy, a criminal who fakes crazy to serve the remainder of his jail-time in an insane asylum. There, he meets Nurse Ratched, a sinister tyrant who enjoys psychologically torturing her patients. Mac inspires them to fight back. The rousing psychological warfare between Mac and Ratched is more entertaining than most epic battle scenes. Mac is one of my favorite protagonists. He’s just such a cool, funny rebel, you can’t help but look up to him. His cheerleading turns the nuthouse into a funhouse! Nurse Ratched is one of the great screen villains: a calm, quiet authoritarian who doesn’t even seem to realize what a quasi-fascist-bitch she is! She’s truly frustrating to watch. The asylum is full of lovable inmates, including the stuttering young Billy Bibbet, childish Charlie Cheswick, and the gigantic, deaf-mute Native American, Chief. I’d fake crazy just to hang out with those guys. Director Milos Forman always found perfect cast, down to the smallest supporting roles. In most films, it’s the protagonist who has the character arc. But here, Mac doesn’t change a note. He inspires the change in everyone else. Cuckoo’s Nest was the best punk film of the seventies; a powerful, funny, and inspiring film that, despite being set almost entirely in one location, had universal themes.
#21: Psycho
1960
WEET! WEET! WEET! screeched Bernard Herman’s violins during what is perhaps the most famous movie scene of all time. By the early sixties, there were a lot of trashy, low-budget, B-horror films. Alfred Hitchcock, on the other hand, was at the height of his A-game, fresh off a long line of critical and commercial hits. In a daring departure, Hitch decided to make a cheap horror film of his own, but to do it well. Psycho gave horror a good name. It begins like a noirish love story about a blonde who goes on the run after robbing her employer. One night, she checks into a motel, where she befriends the sweet, handsome young owner, Norman Bates. After a heart-to-heart with Norman, the blonde decides to go home and return the stolen money. But then, the film suddenly takes a dark, shocking turn, becoming a terrifying murder-mystery. Young audiences may not understand just how innovative Psycho was for its time. It practically invented all the horror elements that are clichés today, and it sent audiences running for the exit. In fact, many theater-goers of the time were accustomed to entering and leaving movies whenever they pleased, an idea I can’t even begin to understand. What, were couples just using theaters to mack?! I had a babe try that once. She got all pissy when I rejected her -- that’s the ultimate test of film geekage. Hitchcock actually convinced Paramount to convince theater managers not to admit anyone after the show started, which led to long, angry, horny lines in the streets. But Psycho is one of those films you had to see from start to finish. It was the first film to hide a humongo secret until the surprise ending. I would have loved to see the look on those teenager’s faces whose attention was suddenly jolted back to the screen by the rest of the theater’s screams.
Man, this list was tough to make. Over halfway there now! Click here for Part 4.
