My Favorite Movies

Quite simply, the most clever and thought-provoking comedy in film history, not overlooking its legendary ending. There are so many memorable comic moments scattered throughout that I would be hard-pressed to choose my favorite bit. The war room scenes allow Sellers and Scott to demonstrate their natural comic talents. Just my opinion, but I believe the sum of Sellers' contribution to this film represents one of the greatest acting feats of all-time.

maverick film-making at its best -- a devastating look at cultural conflicts and man's violent tendencies

A superb screenplay, top-notch acting performances, and a timeless story examining the corrosive effect greed has on a man's soul -- this film shall always rank among the greatest ever produced... and Bogart seriously deserved the Oscar, though the Academy, in one of its many all-time blunders, didn't even see fit to give him a nomination.

Arguably the best play of the 20th century is also in the discussion of greatest films from that century. I can imagine dissenters out there might complain "that people don't act or talk like that in real life." But, there are two important points which I think need to be mentioned in response to such an imagined comment. First, it's presentation very much resembles a stage play. The movie unfolds in tight, cramped settings, plus Brando, Hunter, Malden, and Kazan were all part of the original Broadway stagings. Obviously, each of them knew what was needed to make the film version work. Secondly, Blanche Dubois is meant to be overwrought, and Vivian Leigh achieves this characterization marvelously. Brando has received most of the attention over the years, and he is great, but Leigh has the heftier role and decidely more screen time. What sticks with me is that all of the performers understood subtlety, and precisely how to convey personality without saying a word. The material was daring for its time, Tennessee Williams proved himself as one of the great American writers, the cast all gave performances that came to be recognized as their career highlights, and everything still holds up today.

Zombie films have always been my guilty pleasure when it comes to movies, and this one happens to be the best zombie film of all. I know detractors still knock the film for not being as imaginative as it might have been with respect to the look of its zombies. However, this minor detail hardly diminishes the pervasive sense of paranoia and action sequences that Romero and Co. deliver. There are several observations which explain why this film, in particular, evidences what makes the best films in this genre work so well: 1) an escalating (apocalyptic?) crisis situation where solutions arrived at through rational consideration are not clear or especially helpful; 2) aggressors who cannot be reasoned with or deterred; 3) the various ways in which characters, most of which are strangers, respond to such an unexpected predicament; 4) the claustrophobic feeling as the on-screen characters attempt to find refuge from their pursuers. What especially separates George Romero's "Dawn" from the rest, however, are the satiric social elements found in the film. Foremost of those observations is the rampancy of a materialistic mind-set and its influence on the "American-way of life." Where is one of the chief places the recently un-dead would trek toward? Why, the nearest shopping mall, of course -- a place that must have been important to them when they were alive.

As motion pictures go, here is one that is first-rate and so worthy of its acclaim. Despite that not a word of dialogue can be heard in this silent-era masterpiece, "The General" is a veritable bounty of physical comedy and thrilling action sequences. For a film made so long ago, it registers as no less amazing today while one beholds all of the visual set-ups that Keaton and his crew were able to pull off. All of the action involving the locomotives is a spectacle that should command just about any audience?s attention. Boring is one thing this movie isn't -- not even for a second. Thrown in for good measure is a story about an underestimated figure who discovers himself capable of much more in the way of valor than what the people he encounters would ever care to concede. Sure, he wants to impress the girl, but he seems to care foremost about doing the right thing. Keaton often earns kudos as an actor and director, but how can one not also appreciate his talents as a stunt-man? How many Hollywood stars in subsequent eras would think of attempting some of the ostensibly high-risk stunts he executes in this movie, many of which take place atop a moving locomotive? Movies are entertainment and this film is destined to fascinate and impress viewers for decades ahead.