A new Monday feature: Top Tens. For the next few weeks, anyway. This week I’ll try to list my…
TOP TEN MOVIES
Only about half of these movies would always make my list, no matter what; the rest is prone to change daily. Listed in no particular order…
01. King Kong (1933) Sentimental choice, of course—the four-year-old me who first saw this was spellbound. Today? It still it has a marvellous sense of wonder.
02. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Based on Harper Lee’s stupendous novel, this condensed but extremely faithful adaptation is near-perfect. Gregory Peck is at the height of his powers. Plus: Robert Duvall’s screen debut!
03. Citizen Kane (1941) A predictable choice, but who else can claim an achievement like this for their movie debut?
04. Shawshank Redemption (1994) Based on an excellent Stephen King novella, this is another very faithful adaptation. Superb performances from Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Inspiring, moving and, quite simply, brilliantly done.
05. Misery (1990) Faithful adaptation #3, Stephen King story #2. James Caan and the peerless Kathy Bates bring SK’s impressive novel alive with tremendous skill. It’s tense and ugly, as is the book. A great movie.
06. Cape Fear (1962) More Gregory Peck greatness, and Robert Mitchum proving what a genuinely scary villain he could be (see also Night of the Hunter (1955)—my alternative choice for this slot). Simply excellent.
07. Anatomy of a Murder (1959) One of James Stewart’s finest performances (and there were many), and just about as good a courtroom drama as you’ll find. Beyond reproach.
08. X-Men (2000) Mentioned simply because it finally proved that a genuinely good superhero movie was possible without reservation. And because Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are brilliant.
09. The Godfather (1972) Easily the best of the trilogy, and probably Brando’s (and Coppola’s) finest hour. You want a Mafia movie? This is the first place you go, no substitutes.
10. Witchfinder General (1968) Yet another sentimental choice, because I love Vincent Price dearly in anything, even though the actual films were often poor. Not so here. Price gives it his best, in a thoroughly serious performance. Creepy!
Hmmm… I will change my mind about these in five minutes. Anyway, if you want to make this site more interactive, use the commenting feature to give your own choices—or you can just slag mine off, if you prefer. 🙂
Normal blogging resumes shortly…
Great list. Mine would differ slightly (okay, completely) but only because I’m not a fan of Stephen King (I like his writing, but have only read his intro to a Harlan Ellison novel) or Mafia flicks. I’d have to think about it to come up with ten, but I’d start with 2001 and Planet of the Apes which I saw (age 9) in 1970 and which defined the next few years of my life budget-wise. Casablanca which I saw in an old refurbished theatre downtown on a very early date with my wife-to-be (we watch the video at *least* every other year). The Matrix for its Kirby homages (hope this doesn’t sound obsessive but I’ve been watching it once a week lately). Twelve Monkeys (Willis *and* Gilliam *and* Stowe).
I enjoy Godfather II a little more, no good reason. Shawshank Redemption is v. good. No comedies? I think a new King Kong is in the works. I cannot see it not sucking.
Imdb.com has no advance listing for the Jackson/Kong project. There are worse people to do it, tho’.
Mike, if you ever wanted to try Stephen King, the Dark Tower books might work for you. If you can get through the first (thankfully brief) volume, things really take off. It’s not horror; it owes a debt to Tolkien, amongst a thousand other things.
BTW, I didn’t pick those movies because they were King stories—most King adaptations suck v. badly. Those two happen to be rare exceptions.
Nope, no comedies in my list! Well, no chick flicks either. Not that I don’t enjoy that stuff, but nothing of that kind stood out for me as I compiled Da List.
The Jackson King Kong announcement was linked on Slashdot on April Fool’s Day, so I took it with a grain of salt.
Thanks, maybe I’ll get the Dark Tower books from my sister at Easter (she must have everything King in print). It seems to me the piece in the Ellison book was about the cult of celebrity, and it made an impression on me in the ’80s.
Speaking of comedies, I originally saw Monty Python and the Holy Grail at an impressionable age, and now that my son and his friends have discovered it, he gets some of the memorable quotes that I sometimes apply to everyday life.
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