*Or so the June issue of Esquire claims.
I don't agree with every film on this list, but I'll share it anyway. Having not seen many movies lately, I expected only about one-third to be flicks I've watched. But I was wrong: I've seen two-thirds of them.
I'll have to add several to my Netflix list. Here they are, with an asterisk by the ones I've seen and an occasional comment:
1. In the Heat of the Night* Poitier and Steiger - movie magic
2. Slap Shot*
3. Iron Man
4. Jaws*
5. Save the Tiger*
6. Twelve Angry Men* Henry Fonda takes on a room full of bigotry, impatience and anger. Brilliant.
7. Fast Times at Ridgemont High* Eh. Not sure I buy this
8. Chinatown*
9. The Godfather* "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse."
10. Fitzcarraldo
11. Ghostbusters*
12. Glory* Denzel Washington's first Oscar
13. Wall Street* "Greed is good"
14. Runaway Train
15. Rosemary's Baby
16. North by Northwest* Esquire calls this 'the first Bond movie' -- love that description
17. Lone Star
18. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly*
19. The Conversation
20. The Thin Blue Line
21. Johnny Dangerously
22. The French Connection*
23. Miller's Crossing
24. The Great Escape* Steve McQueen in the cooler with a ball and a glove
25. Dawn of the Dead
26. Shaun of the Dead
27. Hate
28. First Blood* Sly the Survivalist
29. Bottle Rocket
30. Bad Day at Black Rock* Spencer Tracy takes on racism - with one arm
31. Tootsie* Nope. Doesn't belong
32. Broadcast News*
33. The Terminator*
34. Shakes the Clown
35. Dirty Harry* "Do ya feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?"
36. Straw Dogs
37. Raging Bull* Robert DeNiro played Jake LaMotta better than Jake LaMotta
38. Citizen Kane* "Rosebud"
39. The Shining*
40. Fatal Attraction* A new take on rabbit stew
41. The Incredibles
42. Blade Runner* Darryl Hannah, without fins
43. Sling Blade* Depicted the ugliness of domestic violence so truthfully people walked out
44. Giant* Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean...giants
45. Glengarry Glen Ross* Depicted the ugliness of business so truthfully I nearly walked out
46. Serpico* A bad cop gone good - or is it the other way around?
47. Double Indemnity
48. Down by Law
49. The Searchers* John Wayne in one of his most heroic - and hate-filled - roles
50. Do the Right Thing
51. Gone Baby Gone* A journey from nightmare to hope and back again
52. The Big Kahuna
53. M*A*S*H * It spawned an even funnier, and now classic, television series
54. The Verdict* On any short list of Paul Newman's best performances
55. The Warriors
56. Alien* Sigourney Weaver, our hero
57. Stalag 17* I have yet to see a better POW (or prison) movie
58. The Bridge on the River Kwai* Classic theme song, compelling morality tale
59. The Misfits* The last movie for both Gable and Monroe
60. Reservoir Dogs
61. The Maltese Falcon* Bogart takes on the mob. Who do you think wins?
62. Dr. No* Bond. James Bond.
63. Cool Hand Luke* "What we have here is failure to communicate"
64. The Road Warrior
65. Patton* The role George C. Scott was born to play
66. True Romance
67. Run Silent, Run Deep* Classic submarine warfare - who's the bad guy?
68. All Quiet on the Western Front* One of the strongest anti-war movies ever made
69. Platoon* Vietnam, unplugged
70. Caddyshack* "Nnnnnnnnnooonan!"
71. Hud* Paul Newman spelled 'cool' with three letters
72. Blazing Saddles* Singlehandedly killed westerns for more than 20 years
73. Three Kings* Doesn't belong on this list
74. Paths of Glory* Another powerful indictment of the militant mentality
75. On the Waterfront* Most men, at some point, have said or thought, "I coulda been a contendah! I coulda been somebody!"
I can't argue with many of these choices, but I'd add "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Gallipoli" and subtract "Three Kings" and "Tootsie" --- and I say that despite the fact that I fall in love with Jessica Lange every time I stumble across it on cable. And I think I'd substitute "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" or "Risky Business" for "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."
I welcome any nominations readers of my blog may offer, just to see what they are...
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