AFI Top 100 71-80

I am glad to see this movie start to develop some critical heft. I thought it was the best WWII movie I had seen when it came out. Remember that the Academy passed this over for "Shakespeare in Love" starring the horribly, agonizingly overrated Gwenyth Paltrow. The opening to this film is one of the best war scenes ever filmed. Everything is so random. The ending was tough for me when they aged Matt Damon to present day and he is in the cementery at Normandy. I went to Normandy after this came out and would highly recommend that as a place to visit and it gives great perspective to this great film.

This movie may be to high. It is a really good study on male bonds, but isn't it really just the best, "movie for guys that like movies"? This is sort of a modern day "It's A Wonderful Life" as like that movie it becomes better and more important over time. Other than "Street Smart", this is Morgan Freeman's best performance.

The original buddy movie, starring one actor I love (Newman) and another I will never understand the appeal (Redford). This movie still holds up but runs alot slower than what today's audiences are used to. I would actually recommend "Cool Hand Luke", "Hud", "The Verdict", "The Hustler" and "The Towering Inferno" ( I want to see who is paying attention). These are all very good Newman films and some of them could easily be on this list. I would like all people to remember what film stars are really like. I will mention the Burt Bacharach soundtrack and Katherine Ross as other reasons to take a gander at this film.

This has to be the most important thriller/horror film of the last 20 years, Right? The principals have earned their due over time and at that time, but I think one of the reasons it is so good is that everyone is perfectly cast. Scott Glenn and Anthony Heald really shine in their roles. Anthony Heald is so good that on "Boston Public" his character was really just an extension of the warden playing vice principal. If you haven't seen this film I would start here. Most likely the most accessible thing on here and watching it is just outside of most people's comfort zone. It is quite an experience. I read "Hannibal" and knew that the movie would suck, but "Red Dragon" is perhaps the scariest book I have ever read and the movie is kind of underrated.

This is like a really bad Lifetime movie now. It stars egomaniac (Steiger) and overrated (Poitier). I know that to say Poitier is overrated is sinful but he plays the same unemotional man in every film. Watch "To Sir With Love" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" back to back. You will think he is same character in everything. He is what America was comfortable with in the 60's. He makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X.

I think this is a likable film, but I don't know if it is great. I usually watch it when it comes on but I think that is for some of the comedy scenes and when Forrest touches Jenny's breast. The look on her roommates face is priceless. The dramatic parts of the movie could be seen coming from miles away. Everyone knew that Lieutenant Dan would redeem himself and that Jenny would have a tragic life. Maybe this movie is seen as big deal for the technical values that it brought to cinema.

Is this really a great movie? It is interesting and all but isn't the legacy of this film that now every journalist in every medium wants to come off as a two bit Woodward or Bernstein?!! We had to watch this in junior high and I think I was just excited because I learned that Deepthroat was Hal Holbrook. They should have an update at the end of the DVD telling you what happened to all of them, it would read like Ben Bradlee dumped his wife for a young Washington socialite, Bernstein got divorced from Nora Ephron who then proceeded to rip him a new one on screen and Woodward wrote perhaps the scariest drug book ever "Wired" and pissed off every member of the 1st 15 years of SNL. They could then quote the real Deepthroat with a line like "I died and those greedy little fucks couldn't wait to go on Hardball and spill the beans".

The IBM pitch guy gets thrown through gears in a machine supposed to be a statement on technology but I am sure no one has actually seen this who put it on the list.

A personal favorite. William Holden is good, Borgnine is good and Warren Oates is great. Warren Oates is very underrated and it is a shame he could never really land leading roles. Peckingpah was a master years ahead of his time with regards to violence and relationships. His love stories feel that they are based on emotions more bad than good, something really unseen in the 60's. The last 20 minutes of the picture have been commented on before, but I like the beginning of the film just as good. Please watch this if you have never seen it. This should be higher, it is similar in story to "Unforgiven" but I think it is better. Another Peckingpah to look for is "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia", there is nothing quite like it and Warren Oates gives a great leading performance, before he became Sgt. Hulka.

This movie seems a little dated, but if you want to know why Jack Lemmon was so well regarded his performance in this film is very good. The storyline about a business renting an apartment for extracurricular encounters plays sort of like a "Twilight Zone" episode now. We have nothing like this in my business. This is another movie that people call a comedy but I don't think it is that funny.