Updated February 21, 2012
MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES
1. Taste Of Cherry (1997) *** 1/2
2. Pina *** 1/2
3. The Descendants **
4. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy *** 1/2
5. The Iron Lady * 1/2 but Streep ***+
6. Cameraman: The Life and Work Of Jack Cardiff **
7. Downton Abbey Season Two * 1/2
8. All Creatures Great and Small Season Three ****
9. Contagion **
10. Force Of Evil (1949) ***
11. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale ** 1/2
12. Margin Call ***
13. Warrior ** 1/2
14. Travels With My Aunt (1972) *
15. The Crime Of Monsieur Lange (1936) ***
16. In Darkness ***
17. My Week With Marilyn **
18. Albert Nobbs ***
19. Shame *
20. A Dangerous Method *
21. A Separation *** 1/2
22. The Miners' Hymns ****
23. Rango ***
24. Carancho ***
25. Tuesday, After Christmas *** 1/2
26. Oscar Nominee Documentary Shorts
The Barber Of Birmingham: Foot Soldier Of The Civil Rights Movement * 1/2
God Is The Bigger Elvis ** 1/2
Incident In New Baghdad **
Saving Face ***
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom **
27. Oscar Nominee Animated Shorts
Dimanche/Sunday ***
Wild Life * 1/2
The Fantastic Flying Books Of Mr. Morris Lessmore ** 1/2
A Morning Stroll ***
La Luna ***
28. Oscar Nominee Live Action Shorts
The Shore * 1/2
Time Freak ** 1/2
Tuba Atlantic ** 1/2
Pentecost **
Raju ** 1/2
29. Game Of Thrones Season One ** 1/2
30. American Teacher ***
31. Downton Abbey Season Two * 1/2
32. The Future ** 1/2
33. Hesher ***
34. Bombay Beach *** 1/2
35. Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune ** 1/2
36. The Forgiveness Of Blood ***
37. Foreign Correspondent (1940) ***
38. I, Claudius (1976 miniseries) ****
39. Three Outlaw Samurai (1964) ***/
40. Advise And Consent (1962) ***\
41. Chimes At Midnight (1965) ***
42. White Heat (1949) *** 1/2
43. Written On The Wind (1956) ***
44. Letter From An Unknown Woman (1948) *** 1/2
45. Cavalcade ** 1/2 (1933)
46. Shock Corridor (1963) ***
47. Ugetsu (1953) *** 1/2
48. The Lorax **
49. Chronicle ***
50. John Carter (Of Mars) **
51. Game Of Thrones Season One ** 1/2
52. On The Bowery (1957) ***
BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS
1. The Underneath by Kathi Appelt ***
2. Jack Holmes and His Friend by Edmund White ***
3. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle **
4. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel ***
5. Death Walks In Eastrepp by Francis Beeding ***
6. Lumious Airplanes by Paul La Farge ***/
7. The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen ** 1/2
8. Unterzakhn by Leela Corman **
9. The Child Who by Simon Lelic ***
10. Hinterland by Caroline Brothers ***
11. The Yard by Alex Grecian *** 1/2
12. The Alienist by Caleb Carr ***
13. On The Wings Of Heroes by Richard Peck *** 1/2
14. A Princess Of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs *
15. The Gods Of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs **
16. The Warlord Of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs ** 1/2
17. Undefeated: America's Heroic Fight For Bataan and Corregidor by Bill Sloan ** 1/2
18. Stoner by John Williams ****
19. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt *** 1/2
20. The 500 by Matthew Quirk **
21. The Age Of Innocence by Edith Wharton ****
22. The Alienist by Caleb Carr ***\
THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS
1. It's Always Right Now, Until It's Later -- Daniel Kitson *** 1/2
2. Bob (show about Robert Wilson) *** 1/2
3. Wit w Cynthia Nixon **
4. de Kooning Exhibit at MOMA ***
5. How The World began * 1/2
6. Sontag: Reborn *
7. Goodbar at Public * 1/2
8. Super Night Shot at Public (Gob Squad) ** 1/2
9. Samuel & Alasdair: A Personal History Of the Robot Wars ** 1/2
10. The Table (puppetry show at La MaMa) ** 1/2
11. Mission Drift * 1/2
12. Dedalus Lounge * 1/2
13. Leo (one-man circus act) ***
14. The Road To Mecca ** 1/2
15. Porgy & Bess (w Audra McDonald) *** 1/2
16. The Ugly One **
17. Ernani at Met w Angela Meade *** 1/2
18. Richard III at BAM w Kevin Spacey ***
19. Vivian Maier photo exhibit ***
20. Blood Knot at Signature **
21. Galileo w F. Murray Abraham **
22. Early Plays at St. Ann's (Eugene O'Neil) *
23. Songs From The Upoar
24. Assistance (w Bobby Steggert) **
25. Carrie ** 1/2
26. Hurt Village at Sig ***
27. Painting Churches * 1/2
28. Tribes w Mare Winningham *** 1/2
29. The Lady From Dubuque at Sig w Jane Alexander ** 1/2
30. The Maids **
31. Damn Yankees at Papermill **
32. Once on Broadway ****
33. Death Of A Salesman w Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield ***
CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS (Only the CDs I've listened to thoroughly and with a strong emphasis on the ones I like, so don't think I love everything I listen to -- I just don't bother really listening to the ones I don't like more than once and don't think it's fair to rate on a cursory listen)
1. Ambrose Akinmusurie -- When The Heart Emerges Glistening *** 1/2
2. Amor De Dias -- Street of The Love Of Days **
3. Amy Winehouse -- Lioness: Hidden Treasures ***
4. Kami Thompson -- Love Lies **
5. Kate Bush -- 50 Words For Snow ** 1/2
6. Kinks -- Face To Face (mono) ***
7. Daughter -- His Young Heart ep ***
8. Meaghan Smith -- It Snows ***
9. Allie Moss -- Late Bloomer ** 1/2
10. Marc Broussard -- Marc Broussard *** 1/2
11. Nicole Atkins - Mondo Amore ** 1/2
12. The Civil Wars -- Barton Hollow ***
13. Alison Krauss and Union Station -- Paper Airplane ***/
14. Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton -- Play the Blues *** 1/2
15. Lady GaGa -- Born This Way ***
16. M83 -- Hurry Up, We're Dreaming *** (esp "Une Historie")
17. Fountains Of Wayne -- Sky Full Of Holes ** 1/2
18. Gillian Welch -- The Harrow and The Harvest *** 1/2
19. Girls -- Father, Son, Holy Ghost ***/
20. Gregg Allman -- Low Country Blues ***
21. Houston Person -- So Nice ***/
22. james Blake -- James Blake ***
23. Jay-Z and Kanye West -- Watch the Throne *** 1/2
24. jeff Beam -- Venus Flying Trapeze ***
25. Jonathan Wilson -- Gentle Spirit ** 1/2
26. Johnny Sansone -- The Lord Is Waiting, The Devil Is Too **
27. Joseph Arthur -- Graduation Ceremony ** 1/2
28. The Iceage -- New Brigade **
29. The Isaacs -- Why Can't We * 1/2
30. Austra -- Feel It Break **
31. The Barr Brothers -- The Barr Brothers ***
32. Becca Stevens Band -- Weightless ** 1/2
33. Sons Of Fathers aka beck and Cauthen -- Sons Of Fathers ** 1/2
34. The Belle Brigade -- The Belle Brigade ** 1/2
35. Ben Howard -- Every Kingdom ***/
36. Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa -- Don't Explain *** 1/2
37. Betty Wright & The Roots -- The Movie ***
38. Booker T. Jones & The MGs -- The Road From Memphis ** 1/2
39. Brad Mehldau -- Modern Music *** 1/2
40. Branford Marsalis & Joey Caldarazzo -- Songs Of Mirth And Melancholy *** 1/2
41. Carolyn Wonderland -- Peace Meal ***
42. Charlie Parr -- Cheap Wine ***
43. Chris Bathgate -- Salt Year ***
44. Coldplay -- Mylo Xyloto **
45. Colin James -- Take It From The Top ** 1/2
46. Common -- The Dreamer, The Believer **
47. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. -- It's A Corporate World ***
48. Suzanne Vega -- Close-Up Vol. 3: State Of Being *** 1/2
49. Tinariwen -- Tassili *** 1/2
50. Wild Flag -- Wild Flag *** 1/2
51. Boubacar Traore -- Mali Denhou *** 1/2
52. Destroyer -- Kaputt ***
53. Real Estate -- Days*** 1/2
54. Tuneyards - Who Kills ** 1/2
55. Bombino -- Agadez ****
56. Bon Iver -- Bon Iver ***/
57. Laura Marling - A Creature I Should Know ***
58. Mike Bloom -- King Of Circles *** 1/2
59. Ry Cooder -- Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down ** 1/2
60. Kurt Vile -- Smoke Ring For My Halo **
61. The Rural Alberta Advantage -- Departing ** 1/2
62. Scattered Trees -- Sympathy ** 1/2
63. Simple Plan -- Get Your Heart On! ***
64. Sidi Toure -- Sahel Folk ** 1/2
65. The Smithereeens -- 2011 ***
66. Smith Westerns -- Dye It Blonde ** 1/2
67. Pat Metheny -- What's It All About **
68. Paul Burch -- Words Of Love: Songs Of Buddy Holly ***/
69. Pet Shop Boys -- The Most Incredible Thing **
70. Portugal The Man -- In The Mountain, In The Cloud ** 1/2
71. Rebirth Brass Band -- Rebirth Of New Orleans ***/
72. Robert Earl Keen -- Ready For Confetti ***
73. Rolling Stones -- Some Girls ****
74. Priscilla Ahn -- When You Grow Up ***/
75. Nick Lowe -- That Old Magic *** 1/2
76. Okkervil River -- I Am Very Far ** 1/2
77. Bruce Springsteen -- Wrecking Ball *** 1/2
78. Bap Kennedy -- The Sailor's Revenge **
79. Ben Kweller -- Go Fly A Kite ***/
80. The Doors -- LA Woman ***
81. Josh Ritter -- Bringing In The Darlings *** 1/2
82. Punch Brothers -- Who's Feeling Young Now? ***/
83. Ray Charles -- Singular Genius: The ABC Singles ****
84. Sinead O'Connor -- How About I Be Me And You Be You ***
85. The Tallest Man On Earth -- Shallow Grave ***
86. The Smiths -- Meat Is Murder *** 1/2
87. Van Halen - A Different Kind Of Truth ** 1/2
88. Beau Brummels -- Bradley's Barns ***/
89. Karen Dalton -- 1966 **
90. Kathleen Edwards -- Voyageur **
91. Kellie Pickler -- 100 Proof **
92. Lamb Chop -- M ** 1/2
93. Mikal Cronin -- Mikal Cronin ***
94. The Magnetic Fields -- Love At The Bottom Of The Sea *** 1/2
Updated February 21, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
The Best Albums Of 2011
Here's a link to my full feature on Huffington Post about the best albums of 2011.
And for those that just want the facts:
THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2011:
Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues (CSN rocks out) --
Tom Waits Bad As Me (bohemian troubadour in top form)
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins Diamond Mine (quirky concept album, gorgeously done)
Gillian Welch – The Harrow and the Harvest (simple, straightforward, striking folk)
Teddy Thompson – Bella / kd lang –Sing It Loud /Ron Sexsmith – Long Player, Late Bloomer (pure pop by pure pros)
Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton – Play The Blues / Branford Marsalis and Joey Caldarazzo – Songs Of Mirth And Melancholy (trad jazz)
Glen Campbell – Ghost On The Canvas (haunting country pop)
Bombino Agadez (Tuareg rocks!) / Boubacar Traore Mali Denhou (gentle African guitar) / Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Songs From A Zulu Farm (ecstatic and playful children’s music)
Various Artists – This May Be My Last Time Singing: Raw African American Gospel on 45 RPM (1957-1982) (gut bucket gospel so good you’ll convert)
Adele 21 (unstoppable soul diva)
Grouplove Never Trust A Happy Song (raucous LA pop-rock)
Panic! At The Disco – Vices & Virtues (sterling but overlooked pop-rock)
Nick Lowe – The Old Magic (vintage wine, vintage bottle)
Wild Flag Wild Flag (giving super groups a good name)
Brad Mehldau – Modern Music (focused jazz trio)/Colin Vallon – Rruger (bold EU trio following in Mehldau’s wake)
Jay-Z and Kanye West – Watch The Throne (braggadocio taken to new heights)
Bon Iver – Bon Iver (stares down success with quiet confidence)
Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal – Chamber Music (delicate instrumentals)
Paul Simon – So Beautiful Or So What (mortality, musically)
Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa – Don’t Explain (the blues, thumpingly good)
Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Del McCoury Band – American Legacies (jazz, bluegrass, Americana…music)
Ambrose Akinmusire – When The Heart Emerges Glistening (delicate jazz)
James Blake – James Blake (trippy pop)
Various Artists – Live From The Old Town School (folk’s beating heart)
Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost (split personalities, all of them interesting)
Tinariwen – Tassili (bluesy, distinctive, campfire sing-alongs)
Joy Formidable – The Big Roar (noisy pop)
Dario Marinelli – Jane Eyre soundtrack featuring Jack Liebeck (the year’s best score)/ Matthew Cooper Some Days Are Better Than Others (shimmering gauzy pop score to indie film)
The Coral – Butterfly House/The Magic Numbers – Runaway (pop, unimported, unrecognized)
Pistol Annies – Pistol Annies/Miranda Lambert – Four The Record (country’s top gal and friends)
The Low Anthem – Smart Flesh (brainy Americana)
Charlie Haden and Quartet West – Sophisticated Ladies (female singers, jazz swingers)
Black Keys – El Camino (rock, no fuss)
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (ambient pop)
Alison Krauss and Union Station – Paper Airplanes/ John Hiatt – Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (old dogs, old tricks, happily so)
Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee, Part Two (feisty hip-hop from the old-timers)
Ben Howard – Every Kingdom (gentle pop)/Mike Bloom King Of Circles (Seventies singer-songwriter vibe for this warm solo debut)
Vinicius Cantuaria and Bill Frisell – Lagrimas Mexicanas (two great guitars, one great voice equal haunting Latin music)/
The Gourds Old Mad Joy (rootsy celebration) / Marc Broussard – Marc Broussard (bluesy rock)
Suzanne Vega – Close-Up Volume 3: State Of Being (acoustic songs, electric songwriting)
Various Artists – Those Shocking Shaking Days: Indonesia Hard, Psychedelic, Progressive Rock and Funk (1970-1978)
Original Cast Album – The Book Of Mormon (religiously funny)
Drake – Take Care (emo-rap)/ Shabazz Palaces Black Up
Brad Paisley – This Is Country Music (yes it is) /Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive (determined, focused country)
Megafaun – Megafaun (seventies-ish rock)
Fatoumata Diawara Fatou (more Malian guitar talent combined with impeccable vocals)/ Khaira Arby Timbukto Traab (country to Diawara’s city sound; not locale so much as the gritty, rawer feel)
Houston Person – So Nice (late period capper for understated jazz blower)
Real Estate Days – (shimmering indie pop)
Eileen Jewell – Queen Of The Minor Key (sneakily impressive)
Frank Ocean – nostalgia/ultra (backward/forward looking moody pop)
EARLY 2012 FAVORITES
Rumer – Seasons Of My Soul
Charlie Haden and Hank Jones – Come Sunday
Damien Jurado -- Marqopa
Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
Ben Kweller – Go Fly A Kite
Kathleen Edwards -- Voyageur
And for those that just want the facts:
THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2011:
Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues (CSN rocks out) --
Tom Waits Bad As Me (bohemian troubadour in top form)
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins Diamond Mine (quirky concept album, gorgeously done)
Gillian Welch – The Harrow and the Harvest (simple, straightforward, striking folk)
Teddy Thompson – Bella / kd lang –Sing It Loud /Ron Sexsmith – Long Player, Late Bloomer (pure pop by pure pros)
Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton – Play The Blues / Branford Marsalis and Joey Caldarazzo – Songs Of Mirth And Melancholy (trad jazz)
Glen Campbell – Ghost On The Canvas (haunting country pop)
Bombino Agadez (Tuareg rocks!) / Boubacar Traore Mali Denhou (gentle African guitar) / Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Songs From A Zulu Farm (ecstatic and playful children’s music)
Various Artists – This May Be My Last Time Singing: Raw African American Gospel on 45 RPM (1957-1982) (gut bucket gospel so good you’ll convert)
Adele 21 (unstoppable soul diva)
Grouplove Never Trust A Happy Song (raucous LA pop-rock)
Panic! At The Disco – Vices & Virtues (sterling but overlooked pop-rock)
Nick Lowe – The Old Magic (vintage wine, vintage bottle)
Wild Flag Wild Flag (giving super groups a good name)
Brad Mehldau – Modern Music (focused jazz trio)/Colin Vallon – Rruger (bold EU trio following in Mehldau’s wake)
Jay-Z and Kanye West – Watch The Throne (braggadocio taken to new heights)
Bon Iver – Bon Iver (stares down success with quiet confidence)
Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal – Chamber Music (delicate instrumentals)
Paul Simon – So Beautiful Or So What (mortality, musically)
Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa – Don’t Explain (the blues, thumpingly good)
Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Del McCoury Band – American Legacies (jazz, bluegrass, Americana…music)
Ambrose Akinmusire – When The Heart Emerges Glistening (delicate jazz)
James Blake – James Blake (trippy pop)
Various Artists – Live From The Old Town School (folk’s beating heart)
Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost (split personalities, all of them interesting)
Tinariwen – Tassili (bluesy, distinctive, campfire sing-alongs)
Joy Formidable – The Big Roar (noisy pop)
Dario Marinelli – Jane Eyre soundtrack featuring Jack Liebeck (the year’s best score)/ Matthew Cooper Some Days Are Better Than Others (shimmering gauzy pop score to indie film)
The Coral – Butterfly House/The Magic Numbers – Runaway (pop, unimported, unrecognized)
Pistol Annies – Pistol Annies/Miranda Lambert – Four The Record (country’s top gal and friends)
The Low Anthem – Smart Flesh (brainy Americana)
Charlie Haden and Quartet West – Sophisticated Ladies (female singers, jazz swingers)
Black Keys – El Camino (rock, no fuss)
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (ambient pop)
Alison Krauss and Union Station – Paper Airplanes/ John Hiatt – Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (old dogs, old tricks, happily so)
Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee, Part Two (feisty hip-hop from the old-timers)
Ben Howard – Every Kingdom (gentle pop)/Mike Bloom King Of Circles (Seventies singer-songwriter vibe for this warm solo debut)
Vinicius Cantuaria and Bill Frisell – Lagrimas Mexicanas (two great guitars, one great voice equal haunting Latin music)/
The Gourds Old Mad Joy (rootsy celebration) / Marc Broussard – Marc Broussard (bluesy rock)
Suzanne Vega – Close-Up Volume 3: State Of Being (acoustic songs, electric songwriting)
Various Artists – Those Shocking Shaking Days: Indonesia Hard, Psychedelic, Progressive Rock and Funk (1970-1978)
Original Cast Album – The Book Of Mormon (religiously funny)
Drake – Take Care (emo-rap)/ Shabazz Palaces Black Up
Brad Paisley – This Is Country Music (yes it is) /Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive (determined, focused country)
Megafaun – Megafaun (seventies-ish rock)
Fatoumata Diawara Fatou (more Malian guitar talent combined with impeccable vocals)/ Khaira Arby Timbukto Traab (country to Diawara’s city sound; not locale so much as the gritty, rawer feel)
Houston Person – So Nice (late period capper for understated jazz blower)
Real Estate Days – (shimmering indie pop)
Eileen Jewell – Queen Of The Minor Key (sneakily impressive)
Frank Ocean – nostalgia/ultra (backward/forward looking moody pop)
EARLY 2012 FAVORITES
Rumer – Seasons Of My Soul
Charlie Haden and Hank Jones – Come Sunday
Damien Jurado -- Marqopa
Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
Ben Kweller – Go Fly A Kite
Kathleen Edwards -- Voyageur
Saturday, December 31, 2011
The Movies, Books, Theaters, Concerts, CDs Etc I Saw/Read In 2011
Updated December 31, 2011
MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES
1. Secret Sunshine ***
2. The Strange Case Of Angelica * 1/2
3. Welcome ***
4. Shoah ****
5. Downton Abbey (TV series) ***
6. The Red Riding Trilogy: 1980 ***/
7. The Red Riding Trilogy: 1983 ***
8. White Material (good Tindersticks score) ** 1/2
9. Everyone Else *** 1/2
10. Long Ride Home ***
11. Country Strong **
12. Howl * 1/2
13. Judge Hardy and Son (1939) * 1/2 (but good prayer scene for Mickey Rooney)
14. Bluebeard *** 1/2
15. Animal Kingdom ***
16. Inspector Bellamy *
17. Nowhere Boy ** 1/2
18. Cold Weather **
19. Oscar Animated Shorts * 1/2
Madagascar, A Journey Diary ***
Let's Pollute **
The Gruffalo *
The Lost Thing * 1/2
Day & Night ***
20. Oscar Live Action Shorts *** 1/2
The Confession ** 1/2
Wish 143 ***/
Na Wewe *
The Crush ***/
God Of Love *** 1/2
21. Potemkin at Film Forum ****
22. Sapphire (1959) ** 1/2
23. Elsewhere ** 1/2
24. Robinson Crusoe On Mars (1964) **
25. Bambi on BluRay (1942) ****
26. Morning Glory **
27. Unstoppable ***
28. Eyes On The Prize ****
29. Dexter Season One ****
30. Dexter Season Two ** 1/2
31. Dexter Season Three ***
32. Dexter Season Four ***
33. Songs Of America (Simon & Garfunkel TV special) ** 1/2
34. The Harmony Game: The Making Of Bridge Over Troubled Water) ****
35. The Killer Inside Me ** 1/2
36. Pioneers Of Television: Westerns **
37. Pioneers Of Television: Science Fiction *
38. Hereafter * 1/2
39. How Do You Know? * 1/2
40. The Tourist *
41. Terribly Happy ** 1/2
42. Dancing Co-Ed (1939) * 1/2
43. The Black Power Mixtape ***
44. Rejoice & Shout ***
45. Allegheny Uprising (1939) ***
46. Treme Season One ** 1/2 (very frustrating series)
47. Source Code **
48. Honolulu (1939) * 1/2
49. State Of The Union (1948) *** 1/2
50. The Frozen Limits (1939) * 1/2
51. I Walked With A Zombie (1943) ***
52. Sansho The Bailiff (1954) ***
53. Forbidden Games (1952) *** 1/2
54. The Big Heat (1953) *** 1/2 (great Glenn Ford)
55. Out Of The Past (1947) ****
56. The Reckless Moment (1949) ** 1/2
57. Out Of The Fog (1941) ***
58. Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939) **
59. Mr. Moto in Danger Island (1939) * 1/2
60. Mr. Moto Takes A Vacation (1939) * 1/2
61. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) * 1/2
62. Everything Happens At Night (1939 w Sonja Henie) *
63. Out Of The Fog (1941) ***
64. Thor **
Cannes Film Festival 2011
65. Midnight In Paris **
66. Sleeping Beauty (2011) * 1/2
67. We Need To Talk About Kevin ** 1/2
68. Restless * 1/2
69. Polisse ** 1/2
70. The Fairy ** 1/2
71. The Slut **
72. Habemus Papam/We Have A Pope ***
73. Michel Petrucciani ** 1/2
74. Arirang zero stars
75. Jeane Captive/The Silence Of Joan ** 1/2
76. Hearat Shulayam/The Footnote *** 1/2
77. Wu Xia aka Swordsmen aka Dragon ** 1/2
78. Michael *** or maybe *** 1/2
79. 17 Filles/17 Girls **
80. La Fin Du Silence/The End Of Silence **
81. The Kid With A Bike/La Gamin Du Velo *** 1/2
82. The Artist *** 1/2
83. Take Shelter ***
84. Martha Marcy May Marlene ***
85. House Of Tolerance/L'Apolloniade * 1/2
86. The Tree Of Life ****
87. Hors Satan/Outside Satan **
88. Snowtown **
89. Le Havre ***
90. Skoonheid/Beauty **
91. Bonsai **
92. Hanezu No Tsuki *
93. Melancholia **
94. The Conquest/La Conquete ** 1/2
95. Oslo, 31 August **
96. Ichimei aka Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai **
97. The Skin We Live In/La Piel Que Habito **
98. L'Exercice de L'etat/The Minister ** 1/2
99. Drive **
100. This Must Be The Place ***
101. Play ***
End Of Cannes Film Festival
102. X-Men: First Class **
103. Battle: Los Angeles ** 1/2
104. Chains (1949) ***
105. The Eagle * 1/2
106. Went The Day Well (1942 at Film Forum) ***
107. Way To The Stars (1945) ***
108. Let Us Live (1939) * 1/2
109. Follow Me Quietly (1949) **
110. The Spiral Staircase (1946) ** 1/2
111. Grand Central Murder (1942) ** 1/2
112. Gambling Lady (1934) ***
113. Pale Flower (1964) *** 1/2
114. Transformers 3: Dark Of The Moon *
115. Torchwood: Children Of Earth TV miniseries *** 1/2
116. Knight Without Armor (1937) **
117. Q Planes aka Clouds Over Europe (1939) ***
118. Home On The Prairie (Gene Autry)(1939) *
119. Las Acacias (Cannes film truck driver giving mom and baby lift) ***
120. Captain America: The First Avenger ** 1/2
121. Harlem Rides The Range (1939) no stars
122. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes ***
123. Metropolis (restored version 2010 w Alloy Orchestra live) ****
124. The Murder Man w Spencer Tracy ** 1/2
125. Trouble In Paradise at FF (1932) ****
126. Jewel Robbery at FF (1932) ***
127. The Immortal Battalion aka The Way Ahead dir by Carol Reed edited US version 91m (1944) ***
128. Girls Night Out at FF (1931) ***
129. Heat Lightning at FF (1934) ** 1/2
130. Union Depot at FF (1932) ** 1/2
131. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 in 3-D ***
132. They Made Me A Criminal (1939 John Garfield) * 1/2
133. Jane Eyre (2011 w Michael Fassbender) ***
134. Conan The Barbarian (2011) no stars
135. Rally Round The Flag, Boys (1958) *
136. King Of The Underworld (1939) **
137. Fallen Angel (1945) *** 1/2
138. Brute Force (grim prison movie) (1947) *** 1/2
139. Spy In Black (1939) **
140. Mysteries Of Lisbon ** 1/2
141. Intimidation (1960) ** 1/2
142. Smiles Of A Summer Night (1955) *** 1/2
143. Life Begins For Andy Hardy (1941) ***
144. A Man's Castle (1933) ** 1/2
145. The Long Voyage Home (1940) ***
146. Harper (1966) **
147. We Can't Go Home Again (Nicholas Ray) *
148. Music According To Tom Jobim ** 1/2
149. Patience (After Sebald) **
150. Tahrir **
151. Dreileben: Beats Being Dead ***
152. Dreileben: One Minute Of Darkness ***
153. Dreileben: Don't Follow Me Around **
154. Society Lawyer (1939) * 1/2
155. Moneyball **
156. Stronger Than Desire (1939) * 1/2
157. Carnage (film version of God Of Carnage) ** 1/2
158. The Bishop Misbehaves (1935) **
159. Dexter Season Five *** 1/2
160. The Penguin Pool Murder (1932) * 1/2
161. All Creatures Great And Small Season One *** 1/2
162. All Creatures Great And Small Season Two ***
163. All Creatures Great And Small Season Three *** 1/2
164. Shanghai Express (1932) ***
165. Four Daughters (1938) ***
166. One Third Of A Nation (1939) **
167. Circo ***
168. They Were Expendable (1945) ***
169. The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) ****
170. The Four Feathers (1939) ***
171. Koyaanasqatsi (1982) (live at Lincoln Center w orchestra and Glass Ensemble) ****
172. The Great Flood w Bill Frisell at Carnegie Hall ***
173. The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943) *** 1/2
174. The Earrings Of Madame De... (1953) *** 1/2
175. The Crowd at Film Forum w live piano (1928) ****
176. Hugo * 1/2
177. The Wind (1928 w Lillian Gish) ***
178. Pariah ***
179. Courageous Daughters (1939) **
180. Weekend ***
181. Arthur Christmas *** 1/2
182. The Muppets ***
183. Sherlock Holmes: Game Of Shadows **
184. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol ***
185. The Adventures Of Tintin: Secret Of The Unicorn **
186. The Bishop's Wife (1947) *
187. They Drive By Night (1940) ***
188. Tokyo Drifter (1966) *** 1/2
189. Ali: Fear Eats The Soul (1974) *** 1/2
190. Diary Of A Country Priest (1951) *** 1/2
191. Danton (1983) ****
192. High and Low (1963) *** 1/2
BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by JRR Tolkein ****
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return Of The King by JRR Tolkein ****
3. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand *** 1/2
4. The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin ****
5. Two Adolescents by Alberto Moravia *** 1/2
6. King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard ** 1/2
7. Cart & Cwidder by Diana Wynne Jones ** 1/2
8. A Game Of Thrones by George R.R. Martin ****
9. A Clash Of Kings by George R.R. Martin ***1/2
10. Just A Dream by Chris Van Allsburg * 1/2
11. Dodsworth in Rome by Tim Egan ***
12. Prince Valiant Vol. 1: 1937-1938 by Hal Foster ***
13. Prince Valiant Vol. 2: 1939-1940 by Hal Foster ***
14. Prince Valiant Vol. 3: 1941-1942 by Hal Foster *** 1/2
15. A Storm Of Swords by George R.R. Martin *** 1/2
16. Queen Of The Falls by Chris Van Allsburg ** 1/2
17. A Feast For Crows by George R.R. Martin *** 1/2
18. The Greater Journey: Americans In Paris by David McCullough ***
19. The Great Night by Chris Adrian ** 1/2
20. Empire State Of Mind by Zack O'Malley Greenburg
21. The Little Red Pen by Janet Stevens & Susan Stevens Crummel * 1/2
22. 21: The Story Of Roberto Clemente by Wilfred Santiago ** 1/2
23. The Siege Of Washington by John Lockwood & Charles Lockwood ***
24. Malcolm X; A Life Of Reinvention by Manning Marable ****
25. Dawn, Dusk or Night by Yasmina Reza ** 1/2
26. Unforgivable by Phillipe Djian **
27. On Being: A Scientist's Exploration Of The Great Questions Of Existence by Peter Atkins **
28. Mygale by Thierry Jonquet **
29. Berlin, 1961: Kennedy, Kruschev And The Most Dangerous Place On Earth by Frederick Kempe *** 1/2
30. High Strung: Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and the Untold Story Of Tennis's Fiercest Rivalry by Stephen Tignor ** 1/2
31. Death At La Fenice by Donna Leon ** 1/2
32. Death In A Strange Country by Donna Leon ***
33. My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara ***
34. Drive by James Sallis **
35. The Magicians by Lev Grossman ***
36. The Magician King by Lev Grossman ***
37. The Buddha In The Attic by Julie Otsuka ****
38. Fly By Night by Frances Hardinage ***
39. Thunderhead by Mary O'Hara *** 1/2
40. The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler ** 1/2
41. Cocktail Hour Under The Tree Of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller *** 1/2
42. East Of The West by Miroslav Penkov ***
43. Sum: Forty Tales From The Afterlives by David Eagleman ***
44. Green Grass Of Wyoming by Mary O'Hara ***
45. A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin *** 1/2
46. Willie & Joe Back Home by Bill Mauldin ***
47. The Cut By George Pelecanos ** 1/2
48. Grand Pursuit by Sylvia Nasar ***/
49. A Matter For Men: War Of the Chtorrs by David Gerrold **
50. A Rage For Revenge: War Of The Chtorrs by David Gerrold * 1/2
51. The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout ***
52. Sea Of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh *** 1/2
53. River Of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh *** 1/2
54. When The Emnperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka *** 1/2
55. The Sun Also Rises by Eernest Hemingway *** 1/2
56. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson *** 1/2
57. Cousins: A Memoir by Athol Fugard **
58. The Art Of Fielding by Chad Harbach *** 1/2
59. The Rings Of Saturn by W.G. Sebald ****
60. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse * 1/2
61. John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead ***
62. Civilization: The West and the Rest by Niall Ferguson ** 1/2
63. Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin ***
64. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides ** 1/2
65. Prince Valiant Vol. 4 1943-1944 by Hal Foster *** 1/2
66. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens ****
67. Habibi by Craig Thompson *** 1/2
68. The Vicar Of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith ** 1/2
69. The House Of Silk by Anthony Horowitz ** 1/2
70. George F. Kennan by John Lewis Gaddis ***
71. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien ****
72. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell ****
73. The Invention Of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick ***
74. The Leviathan by Joseph Roth (trans by Michael Hofmann) *** 1/2
75. Five Chiefs: A Supreme Court Memoir by John Paul Stevens * 1/2
76. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson ***
77. Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls **
78. Pogo: Through The Wild Blue Yonder -- The Complete Syndicated Comic Strips Vol. 1 by Walt Kelly ****
79. Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes (trans by Edith Grossman) *** 1/2
80. The Cricket In Times Square by George Selden ***
THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS
1. The Importance of Being Earnest (w Brian Bedford) ** 1/2
2. The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church (Daniel Kitson show) *** 1/2
3. Other Desert Cities (Jon Robin Baitz w Stockard Channing, Stacey Keach) **
4. John Gabriel Borkman (Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Lindsay Duncan) * 1/2
5. Mavis Staples at Bell House in Brooklyn ***
6. Fitz and the Tantrums at Bowery Ballroom ***
7. The New York Idea **
8. Blood From A Stone with Ethan Hawke ** 1/2
9. Gruesome Playground Injuries ***
10. The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore with Olympia Dukakis *
11. The Road To Qatar *
12. Nixon In China at the Met *** 1/2
13. The Whipping Man w Andre Braugher **
14. The Hallway Trilogy: Rose ***
15. The Hallway Trilogy: Paraffin ***
16. The Hallway Trilogy: Nursing **
17. Small Craft Warnings Tennessee Williams revival zero stars
18. The Diary Of A Madman with Geoffrey Rush at BAM ***
19. Timon Of Athens with Richard Thomas at the Public ***
20. The Broadway Musicals Of 1921 at Town Hall w Bobby Steggert ***
21. Nightingale at BAM dir Robert Lepage ***
22. Good People (w Frances McDormand) **
23. Beautiful Burnout (Frantic Assembly at St. Ann's) **
24. The Civilians at Joe's Pub w work-in-progress Let Me Ascertain You ***
25. Three Sisters (w Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard) *** 1/2
26. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark at Terminal 5 ***
27. The Pogues at Terminal 5 ** 1/2
28. Room (Virgina Woolf piece at Women's Project) ***
29. Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert -- The Musical * 1/2
30. Ghetto Klown (John Leguizamo show) ** 1/2
31. Cactus Flower (revival with Maxwell Caulfield) *
32. Teddy Thompson at City Winery *** 1/2
33. The Dream Of The Burning Boy ** 1/2
34. Double Flasehood (Shakespeare play) **
35. Macbeth (with John Douglas Thompson) **
36. Between Worlds/Entre Mundos (w Siudy) * 1/2
37. Arcadia (revival with Billy Crudup) *** 1/2
38. Mike Birbiglia's My Girlfriend's Boyfriend ***
39. Ron Sexsmith at Highline ** 1/2 (voice shaky that night; he's great)
40. How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (w Daniel Radcliffe) ***
41. Bengal Tiger At The Baghdad Zoo (w Robin Williams) **
42. Amadou & Mariam at Cooper Square Hotel ** 1/2 (bad acoustics, hard to see them)
43. Anything Goes (w Sutton Foster) ** 1/2
44. The Divine Sister (w Charles Busch) *** 1/2
45. War Horse (at Lincoln Center) ***
46. Catch Me If You Can (w Aaron Tveit) *** 1/2 production of ** 1/2 musical
47. Sleep No More (PunchDrunk's immersive Macbeth at McKittrick Hotel) *** 1/2
48. Peter and the Starcatcher (dir by Roger Rees) *** 1/2
49. Evans Haile at Etc. Etc. ***
50. The Motherf**ker With The Hat (w Chris Rock) ***
51. Being Harold Pinter at La MaMa ** 1/2
52. kd lang at Le Poisson Rouge *** (would have been **** if she had played a full concert)
53. Wonderland *
54. Jerusalem w Mark Rylance ***
55. Alexandria reading ***
56. Young Jean Lee's We're Gonna Die ***
57. Baby It's You *
58. Die Walkure at the Met w Deborah Voigt ***
59. Born Yesterday revival w Jim Belushi ***
60. The Normal Heart w Joe Mantello ***
61. The House Of Blue Leaves * 1/2
62. Sister Act * 1/2
63. The School For Lies (w Mamie Gummer) *** 1/2
64. Carson McCullers Talks About Love (w Suzanne Vega) * 1/2
65. The People In The Picture (w Donna Murphy) *
66. King Lear at BAM (w Derek Jacobi) ***
67. Pygmalion w Rupert Everett in UK **
68. Lord Of The Flies (Open Air) * 1/2
69. Operation Greenfield (UK Christian rock band) ** 1/2
70. Much Ado About Nothing (UK Globe) ** 1/2
71. All's Well That Ends Well (UK Globe) ****
72. One Man, Two Guvnors (UK) ***
73. Much Ado About Nothing (UK West End w David Tennant) ** 1/2
74. Ladysmith Black Mambazo (UK) *** 1/2
75. The Cherry Orchard (w Zoe Wannamker) ** 1/2
76. The Book Of Mormon *** 1/2
77. Lysistrata Jones * 1/2
78. The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide To Capitalism and Socialism with a Key To The Scriptures ***
79. The Illusion (Tony Kushner at Signature) *
80. One Arm (Tennessee Williams screenplay) ***
81. Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark * 1/2
82. Broadway By The Year: 1996 (at Town Hall) ** 1/2
83. All's Well That Ends Well/Shakespeare In The Park ** 1/2
84. Unnatural Acts (at CSC) ***
85. Zarkana/Cirque Du Soleil at Radio City Music Hall **
86. Measure For Measure/Shakespeare In The Park ***
87. Rickie Lee Jones at City Winery ** 1/2
88. Master Class (w Tyne Daly) ***
89. Silence! The Musical **
90. Hair (revival on Broadway) ***
91. Olive and the Bitter Herbs ** 1/2
92. The Bardy Bunch (FringeFest) **
93. 2 Burn (FF) * 1/2
94. Parker & Dizzy's Fabulous Journey To The End Of The Rainbow (FF) ** 1/2
95. Civilian (FF) **
96. Rachel Calof (FF) ** 1/2
97. Walls And Bridges (FF) **
98. What The Sparrow Said (FF) ** 1/2
99. Hard Travelin' With Woody (FF) ***
100. Romeo & Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending (FF) **
101. Books On Tape (FF) ** 1/2
102. Paper Cut (FF) ***
103. Leonard Cohen Koans (FF) *** 1/2
104. Yeast Nation (FF) ***
105. Hero: The Musical * 1/2
106. Cymbeline at Barrow St. Theatre ***
107. The Select (The Sun Also Rises) ERS at NYTW ** 1/2
108. Sweet And Sad **
109. Crane Story **
110. Septimus & Clarissa *** 1/2
111. Follies *** 1/2
112. Araby (FF) *
113. The Mountain Song *** 1/2
114. Pearl's Gone Blue (FF) ***
115. Lake Water **
116. The More Loving One (FF) **
117. Ennio: The Living Paper Cartoon (New York Musical Festival) ** 1/2
118. Newsies at Paper Mill Playhouse **
119. Kissless (NYMF) * 1/2
120. Crazy, Just Like Me (NYMF) ***
121. Time Between Us (NYMF) * 1/2
122. The Pigeon Boys reading (NYMF) ***
123. Fucking Hipsters (NYMF) **
124. Ghostlight (NYMF) ** 1/2
125. Cyclops: A Rock Opera (NYMF) *
126. Blanche: The Bittersweet Life of A Wild Prairie Dame (NYMF) *** 1/2
127. We Live Here (Zoe Kazan play) **
128. The Submission (w Jonathan Groff) **
129. Jack Perry Is Alive (And Dating) (NYMF) * 1/2
130. The Mountaintop ** 1/2
131. Central Avenue Breakdown (NYMF) ** 1/2
132. Kiki Baby (NYMF) ** 1/2
133. Greenwood (NYMF) *
134. Madame X (NYMF) **
135. Tut (NYMF) * 1/2
136. Gotta Getta Girl (NYMF staged reading) ** 1/2
137. Richard Serra exhibit at Gagosian ** 1/2 (space not tall and airy enough for piece)
138. The Agony & The Ecstasy Of Steve Jobs (at Public) ** 1/2
139. Man and Boy (w Frank Langella) * 1/2
140. Rumer in concert ****
141. Relatively Speaking * 1/2
142. PigPen's The Nightmare Story *** 1/2
143. Milk Like Sugar ***
144. Love's Labor's Lost (at Public) ** 1/2
145. The Atmosphere Of Memory (w Ellen Burstyn and John Glover) 1/2 *
146. Other Desert Cities (on Broadway w Rachel Griffiths) ** 1/2
147. 69 Degrees South (at BAM) * 1/2
148. Chinglish * 1/2
149. Sons Of The Prophet *** 1/2
150. Queen Of The Mist (w Mary Testa) ** 1/2
151. Godspell (on Broadway) ** 1/2
152. Hand To God ***
153. All-American **
154. King Lear w Sam Waterston (at Public) **
155. Satyagraha at Met w English National Opera production ****
156. Venus In Fur w Nina Arianda on Broadway ***
157. Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway ***
158. Fragments (Beckett plays) ***
159. Standing On Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays **
160. Radio City Christmas Spectacular ** 1/2
161. Private Lives (w Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross) **
162. Seminar (w Alan Rickman) **
163. White Christmas (at Paper Mill) ***
164. Wild Animals You Should Know ** 1/2
165. An Evening With Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin ***
166. Bonnie & Clyde **
167. The Cherry Orchard w Diane Wiest and John Turturro at CSC **
168. The Man Who Came To Dinner (at St. Clement's) **
169. Misterman w Cillian Murphy (at St. Ann's Warehouse) ** 1/2
170. Once (at New York Theatre Workshop) *** 1/2
171. Maple and Vine **
172. Krapp's Last Tape w John Hurt at BAM ***
173. Stick Fly **
174. Titus Andronicus (at Public) * 1/2
175. On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (w Harry Connick Jr.) * 1/2
176. Shlemiel The First ** 1/2
177. Lysistrata Jones on Broadway *
178. Close Up Space *
CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS (Only the CDs I've listened to thoroughly and with a strong emphasis on the ones I like, so don't think I love everything I listen to -- I just don't bother really listening to the ones I don't like more than once and don't think it's fair to rate on a cursory listen)
1. Cake -- Showroom Of Compassion ** 1/2
2. Charles Bradley -- No Time For Dreaming **
3. Chris Riffle -- Introducing Chris Riffle ** 1/2
4. Cyndi Lauper -- Memphis Blues **
5. John Grant -- Queen Of Denmark ***/
6. Local Natives -- Gorilla Manor ** 1/2
7. Antony and the Johnson - Swanlights ** 1/2
8. Olof Arnalds -- Innundir Skinni **
9. Robert Wyatt -- For The Ghosts Within ***
10. Neil Diamond: The Bang Years ** 1/2
11. Adele -- 21 *** 1/2
12. The Low Anthem -- Smart Flesh *** 1/2
13. Voxhaul Broadcast -- Timing Is Everything **
14. Vinicius Cantuaria & Bill Frisell -- Lagrimas Mexicanas ** 1/2
15. Ladysmith Black Mambazo -- Songs From A Zulu Farm *** 1/2
16. George Michael -- Faith reissue *** 1/2
17. Darlene Love -- The Sound Of Love: The Very Best Of Darlene Love ****
18. Robert Plant -- Band Of Joy *** 1/2
19. Amos Lee -- Mission Bell **
20. Charlie Haden Quartet West -- Sophisticated Ladies *** 1/2
21. The Poison Tree -- The Poison Tree ***
22. Rumer -- Seasons Of My Soul *** 1/2
23. Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Del McCoury Band -- American Legacies *** 1/2
24. David Wax Museum -- Everything Is Saved ***
25. Bruno Mars -- Doowops & Hooligans *** 1/2
26. The National - High Violet ***/
27. Tom Jones -- Praise & Blame *** 1/2
28. William Tyler -- Behold The Spirit ***/
29. Various Artists -- The Sounds of Siam ***/
30. Two Door Cinema Club -- Tourist History ***
31. Elvis Costello -- National Ransom ***/
32. 3 Fervent Travelers -- Time For Three *** 1/2
33. Dennis Brown -- The Crown Prince Of Reggae: Singles 1972-1985 ***
34. Ron Sexsmith -- Long Player Late Bloomer *** 1/2
35. Simon & Garfunkel -- Bridge Over Troubled Water ****
36. Teddy Thompson -- Bella *** 1/2
37. Marsha Ambrosius -- Late Nights & Early Mornings ** 1/2
38. Various Artists -- Sucker Punch soundtrack **
39. Henry Wolfe -- Linda Vista ** 1/2 / (but want to listen to more)
40. Various Artists -- Everybody Wants To Be A Cat: Disney Jazz, Volume 1 ** 1/2
41. kd lang -- Sing It Loud *** 1/2
42. Anita O'Day -- Sings The Most ****
43. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues *** 1/2
44. The Secret Sisters - The Secret Sisters ***
45. Frank Sinatra -- Ring-A-Ding-Ding ***/
46. Arctic Monkeys -- Suck It And See **
47. Beastie Boys -- Hot Sauce Committee Part Two *** 1/2
48. The Bo-Keys -- Got To Get Back ***
49. Bright Eyes -- The People's Key ***
50. Fleet Foxes -- Helplessness Blues *** 1/2
51. Brad Paisley -- This Is Country Music *** 1/2
52. Theophilus London -- Timez Are Weird These Days **
53. The Coral -- Butterfly House *** 1/2
54. Cowboy Junkies -- Demons ** 1/2
55. Colin Hay -- Gathering Mercury ** 1/2
56. Art Pepper -- Meets The Rhythm Section ****
57. Field Dasy -- Projector **
58. Gretchen Parlato -- The Lost and Found **
59. Ian Axel -- This Is The New Year **
60. Ingram Hill -- Look Your Best **
61. Jared Mees & Grown Children -- Only Good Thoughts Can Stay **
62. James Carter -- Caribbean Rhapsody ***
63. Heidi Spencer -- Under Streetlight Glow **
64. Joan As Police Woman -- Deep Field **
65. John Martyn -- Heaven & Earth **
66. Young Presidents -- Freedom Of Speech * 1/2
67. John Shannon -- Songs Of The Desert River **
68. Justin Bond - Dendrophile **
69. Justin Hines -- Days To Recall ** 1/2
70. Kate Bush -- The Director's Cut ***
71. Keren Ann -- 101 ** 1/2
72. Khaira Arby -- Timbuktu Tarab ***
73. Kina Grannis -- Stairwells * 1/2
74. The Magic Numbers -- Runaway ***/
75. Chris Young -- Neon ***
76. Leonard Cohen -- The Complete Columbia Albums Collection *** 1/2
77. James Taylor -- Sweet Baby James *** 1/2
78. Paul Simon -- Songwriter *** 1/2
79. Kate & Anna McGarrigle -- Tell My Sister *** 1/2
80. Various Artists -- The Lost Notebooks Of Hank Williams ***
81. Tom Waits -- Bad As Me ****
82. Darrell Scott -- Long Ride Home ** 1/2
83. Hall & Oates -- all their singles, in order *** 1/2
84. The Jayhawks -- Mockingbird Time ** 1/2
85. Pistol Annies -- Pistol Annies ***
86. Wilco -- The Whole Love ** 1/2
87. Various Artists -- Boardwalk Empire ***
88. Beastie Boys -- Hot Sauce Committee Part Two ***
89. Dale Watson -- The Sun Sessions ** 1/2
90. Miranda Lambert -- Four The Record ***/
91. Radiohead -- King Of Limbs ***
92. Stevie Nicks -- In Your Dreams ** 1/2
93. Lil Wayne -- Tha Carter IV **
94. Mandy Barnett -- Winter Wonderland ** 1/2
95. Dave Stewart -- The Blackbird Diaries ** 1/2
96. Feist -- Metals ***
97. Miles Davis -- Bitches Brew Live *** 1/2
98. Thomas Dybdahl -- Songs **
99. Zuchero -- Chocabek ***
100. John Brown Trio -- Dancing With Duke ** 1/2
101. Emmylou Harris -- Hard Bargain ***
102. Various Artists - Live From The Old Town School Vol 1-4 *** 1/2
103. Toro Y Moi -- Underneath The Pine **
104. George Strait -- Here For A Good Time ***
105. Gregg Allmann -- Low Country Blues ***/
106. Dawes -- Nothing Is Wrong ** 1/2
107. Glen Campbell -- Ghost On The Canvas *** 1/2
108. PJ Harvey -- Let England Shake ***/
109. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins -- Diamond Mine *** 1/2
110. Lindi Ortega -- Little Red Boots ***/
111. She & Him -- A Very She & Him Christmas ** 1/2
112. Justin Bieber -- Under The Mistletoe ** 1/2
113. Mikal Cronin -- Mikal Cronin ***/
Updated December 31, 2011
MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES
1. Secret Sunshine ***
2. The Strange Case Of Angelica * 1/2
3. Welcome ***
4. Shoah ****
5. Downton Abbey (TV series) ***
6. The Red Riding Trilogy: 1980 ***/
7. The Red Riding Trilogy: 1983 ***
8. White Material (good Tindersticks score) ** 1/2
9. Everyone Else *** 1/2
10. Long Ride Home ***
11. Country Strong **
12. Howl * 1/2
13. Judge Hardy and Son (1939) * 1/2 (but good prayer scene for Mickey Rooney)
14. Bluebeard *** 1/2
15. Animal Kingdom ***
16. Inspector Bellamy *
17. Nowhere Boy ** 1/2
18. Cold Weather **
19. Oscar Animated Shorts * 1/2
Madagascar, A Journey Diary ***
Let's Pollute **
The Gruffalo *
The Lost Thing * 1/2
Day & Night ***
20. Oscar Live Action Shorts *** 1/2
The Confession ** 1/2
Wish 143 ***/
Na Wewe *
The Crush ***/
God Of Love *** 1/2
21. Potemkin at Film Forum ****
22. Sapphire (1959) ** 1/2
23. Elsewhere ** 1/2
24. Robinson Crusoe On Mars (1964) **
25. Bambi on BluRay (1942) ****
26. Morning Glory **
27. Unstoppable ***
28. Eyes On The Prize ****
29. Dexter Season One ****
30. Dexter Season Two ** 1/2
31. Dexter Season Three ***
32. Dexter Season Four ***
33. Songs Of America (Simon & Garfunkel TV special) ** 1/2
34. The Harmony Game: The Making Of Bridge Over Troubled Water) ****
35. The Killer Inside Me ** 1/2
36. Pioneers Of Television: Westerns **
37. Pioneers Of Television: Science Fiction *
38. Hereafter * 1/2
39. How Do You Know? * 1/2
40. The Tourist *
41. Terribly Happy ** 1/2
42. Dancing Co-Ed (1939) * 1/2
43. The Black Power Mixtape ***
44. Rejoice & Shout ***
45. Allegheny Uprising (1939) ***
46. Treme Season One ** 1/2 (very frustrating series)
47. Source Code **
48. Honolulu (1939) * 1/2
49. State Of The Union (1948) *** 1/2
50. The Frozen Limits (1939) * 1/2
51. I Walked With A Zombie (1943) ***
52. Sansho The Bailiff (1954) ***
53. Forbidden Games (1952) *** 1/2
54. The Big Heat (1953) *** 1/2 (great Glenn Ford)
55. Out Of The Past (1947) ****
56. The Reckless Moment (1949) ** 1/2
57. Out Of The Fog (1941) ***
58. Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939) **
59. Mr. Moto in Danger Island (1939) * 1/2
60. Mr. Moto Takes A Vacation (1939) * 1/2
61. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) * 1/2
62. Everything Happens At Night (1939 w Sonja Henie) *
63. Out Of The Fog (1941) ***
64. Thor **
Cannes Film Festival 2011
65. Midnight In Paris **
66. Sleeping Beauty (2011) * 1/2
67. We Need To Talk About Kevin ** 1/2
68. Restless * 1/2
69. Polisse ** 1/2
70. The Fairy ** 1/2
71. The Slut **
72. Habemus Papam/We Have A Pope ***
73. Michel Petrucciani ** 1/2
74. Arirang zero stars
75. Jeane Captive/The Silence Of Joan ** 1/2
76. Hearat Shulayam/The Footnote *** 1/2
77. Wu Xia aka Swordsmen aka Dragon ** 1/2
78. Michael *** or maybe *** 1/2
79. 17 Filles/17 Girls **
80. La Fin Du Silence/The End Of Silence **
81. The Kid With A Bike/La Gamin Du Velo *** 1/2
82. The Artist *** 1/2
83. Take Shelter ***
84. Martha Marcy May Marlene ***
85. House Of Tolerance/L'Apolloniade * 1/2
86. The Tree Of Life ****
87. Hors Satan/Outside Satan **
88. Snowtown **
89. Le Havre ***
90. Skoonheid/Beauty **
91. Bonsai **
92. Hanezu No Tsuki *
93. Melancholia **
94. The Conquest/La Conquete ** 1/2
95. Oslo, 31 August **
96. Ichimei aka Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai **
97. The Skin We Live In/La Piel Que Habito **
98. L'Exercice de L'etat/The Minister ** 1/2
99. Drive **
100. This Must Be The Place ***
101. Play ***
End Of Cannes Film Festival
102. X-Men: First Class **
103. Battle: Los Angeles ** 1/2
104. Chains (1949) ***
105. The Eagle * 1/2
106. Went The Day Well (1942 at Film Forum) ***
107. Way To The Stars (1945) ***
108. Let Us Live (1939) * 1/2
109. Follow Me Quietly (1949) **
110. The Spiral Staircase (1946) ** 1/2
111. Grand Central Murder (1942) ** 1/2
112. Gambling Lady (1934) ***
113. Pale Flower (1964) *** 1/2
114. Transformers 3: Dark Of The Moon *
115. Torchwood: Children Of Earth TV miniseries *** 1/2
116. Knight Without Armor (1937) **
117. Q Planes aka Clouds Over Europe (1939) ***
118. Home On The Prairie (Gene Autry)(1939) *
119. Las Acacias (Cannes film truck driver giving mom and baby lift) ***
120. Captain America: The First Avenger ** 1/2
121. Harlem Rides The Range (1939) no stars
122. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes ***
123. Metropolis (restored version 2010 w Alloy Orchestra live) ****
124. The Murder Man w Spencer Tracy ** 1/2
125. Trouble In Paradise at FF (1932) ****
126. Jewel Robbery at FF (1932) ***
127. The Immortal Battalion aka The Way Ahead dir by Carol Reed edited US version 91m (1944) ***
128. Girls Night Out at FF (1931) ***
129. Heat Lightning at FF (1934) ** 1/2
130. Union Depot at FF (1932) ** 1/2
131. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 in 3-D ***
132. They Made Me A Criminal (1939 John Garfield) * 1/2
133. Jane Eyre (2011 w Michael Fassbender) ***
134. Conan The Barbarian (2011) no stars
135. Rally Round The Flag, Boys (1958) *
136. King Of The Underworld (1939) **
137. Fallen Angel (1945) *** 1/2
138. Brute Force (grim prison movie) (1947) *** 1/2
139. Spy In Black (1939) **
140. Mysteries Of Lisbon ** 1/2
141. Intimidation (1960) ** 1/2
142. Smiles Of A Summer Night (1955) *** 1/2
143. Life Begins For Andy Hardy (1941) ***
144. A Man's Castle (1933) ** 1/2
145. The Long Voyage Home (1940) ***
146. Harper (1966) **
147. We Can't Go Home Again (Nicholas Ray) *
148. Music According To Tom Jobim ** 1/2
149. Patience (After Sebald) **
150. Tahrir **
151. Dreileben: Beats Being Dead ***
152. Dreileben: One Minute Of Darkness ***
153. Dreileben: Don't Follow Me Around **
154. Society Lawyer (1939) * 1/2
155. Moneyball **
156. Stronger Than Desire (1939) * 1/2
157. Carnage (film version of God Of Carnage) ** 1/2
158. The Bishop Misbehaves (1935) **
159. Dexter Season Five *** 1/2
160. The Penguin Pool Murder (1932) * 1/2
161. All Creatures Great And Small Season One *** 1/2
162. All Creatures Great And Small Season Two ***
163. All Creatures Great And Small Season Three *** 1/2
164. Shanghai Express (1932) ***
165. Four Daughters (1938) ***
166. One Third Of A Nation (1939) **
167. Circo ***
168. They Were Expendable (1945) ***
169. The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) ****
170. The Four Feathers (1939) ***
171. Koyaanasqatsi (1982) (live at Lincoln Center w orchestra and Glass Ensemble) ****
172. The Great Flood w Bill Frisell at Carnegie Hall ***
173. The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943) *** 1/2
174. The Earrings Of Madame De... (1953) *** 1/2
175. The Crowd at Film Forum w live piano (1928) ****
176. Hugo * 1/2
177. The Wind (1928 w Lillian Gish) ***
178. Pariah ***
179. Courageous Daughters (1939) **
180. Weekend ***
181. Arthur Christmas *** 1/2
182. The Muppets ***
183. Sherlock Holmes: Game Of Shadows **
184. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol ***
185. The Adventures Of Tintin: Secret Of The Unicorn **
186. The Bishop's Wife (1947) *
187. They Drive By Night (1940) ***
188. Tokyo Drifter (1966) *** 1/2
189. Ali: Fear Eats The Soul (1974) *** 1/2
190. Diary Of A Country Priest (1951) *** 1/2
191. Danton (1983) ****
192. High and Low (1963) *** 1/2
BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by JRR Tolkein ****
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return Of The King by JRR Tolkein ****
3. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand *** 1/2
4. The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin ****
5. Two Adolescents by Alberto Moravia *** 1/2
6. King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard ** 1/2
7. Cart & Cwidder by Diana Wynne Jones ** 1/2
8. A Game Of Thrones by George R.R. Martin ****
9. A Clash Of Kings by George R.R. Martin ***1/2
10. Just A Dream by Chris Van Allsburg * 1/2
11. Dodsworth in Rome by Tim Egan ***
12. Prince Valiant Vol. 1: 1937-1938 by Hal Foster ***
13. Prince Valiant Vol. 2: 1939-1940 by Hal Foster ***
14. Prince Valiant Vol. 3: 1941-1942 by Hal Foster *** 1/2
15. A Storm Of Swords by George R.R. Martin *** 1/2
16. Queen Of The Falls by Chris Van Allsburg ** 1/2
17. A Feast For Crows by George R.R. Martin *** 1/2
18. The Greater Journey: Americans In Paris by David McCullough ***
19. The Great Night by Chris Adrian ** 1/2
20. Empire State Of Mind by Zack O'Malley Greenburg
21. The Little Red Pen by Janet Stevens & Susan Stevens Crummel * 1/2
22. 21: The Story Of Roberto Clemente by Wilfred Santiago ** 1/2
23. The Siege Of Washington by John Lockwood & Charles Lockwood ***
24. Malcolm X; A Life Of Reinvention by Manning Marable ****
25. Dawn, Dusk or Night by Yasmina Reza ** 1/2
26. Unforgivable by Phillipe Djian **
27. On Being: A Scientist's Exploration Of The Great Questions Of Existence by Peter Atkins **
28. Mygale by Thierry Jonquet **
29. Berlin, 1961: Kennedy, Kruschev And The Most Dangerous Place On Earth by Frederick Kempe *** 1/2
30. High Strung: Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and the Untold Story Of Tennis's Fiercest Rivalry by Stephen Tignor ** 1/2
31. Death At La Fenice by Donna Leon ** 1/2
32. Death In A Strange Country by Donna Leon ***
33. My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara ***
34. Drive by James Sallis **
35. The Magicians by Lev Grossman ***
36. The Magician King by Lev Grossman ***
37. The Buddha In The Attic by Julie Otsuka ****
38. Fly By Night by Frances Hardinage ***
39. Thunderhead by Mary O'Hara *** 1/2
40. The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler ** 1/2
41. Cocktail Hour Under The Tree Of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller *** 1/2
42. East Of The West by Miroslav Penkov ***
43. Sum: Forty Tales From The Afterlives by David Eagleman ***
44. Green Grass Of Wyoming by Mary O'Hara ***
45. A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin *** 1/2
46. Willie & Joe Back Home by Bill Mauldin ***
47. The Cut By George Pelecanos ** 1/2
48. Grand Pursuit by Sylvia Nasar ***/
49. A Matter For Men: War Of the Chtorrs by David Gerrold **
50. A Rage For Revenge: War Of The Chtorrs by David Gerrold * 1/2
51. The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout ***
52. Sea Of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh *** 1/2
53. River Of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh *** 1/2
54. When The Emnperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka *** 1/2
55. The Sun Also Rises by Eernest Hemingway *** 1/2
56. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson *** 1/2
57. Cousins: A Memoir by Athol Fugard **
58. The Art Of Fielding by Chad Harbach *** 1/2
59. The Rings Of Saturn by W.G. Sebald ****
60. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse * 1/2
61. John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead ***
62. Civilization: The West and the Rest by Niall Ferguson ** 1/2
63. Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin ***
64. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides ** 1/2
65. Prince Valiant Vol. 4 1943-1944 by Hal Foster *** 1/2
66. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens ****
67. Habibi by Craig Thompson *** 1/2
68. The Vicar Of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith ** 1/2
69. The House Of Silk by Anthony Horowitz ** 1/2
70. George F. Kennan by John Lewis Gaddis ***
71. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien ****
72. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell ****
73. The Invention Of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick ***
74. The Leviathan by Joseph Roth (trans by Michael Hofmann) *** 1/2
75. Five Chiefs: A Supreme Court Memoir by John Paul Stevens * 1/2
76. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson ***
77. Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls **
78. Pogo: Through The Wild Blue Yonder -- The Complete Syndicated Comic Strips Vol. 1 by Walt Kelly ****
79. Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes (trans by Edith Grossman) *** 1/2
80. The Cricket In Times Square by George Selden ***
THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS
1. The Importance of Being Earnest (w Brian Bedford) ** 1/2
2. The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church (Daniel Kitson show) *** 1/2
3. Other Desert Cities (Jon Robin Baitz w Stockard Channing, Stacey Keach) **
4. John Gabriel Borkman (Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Lindsay Duncan) * 1/2
5. Mavis Staples at Bell House in Brooklyn ***
6. Fitz and the Tantrums at Bowery Ballroom ***
7. The New York Idea **
8. Blood From A Stone with Ethan Hawke ** 1/2
9. Gruesome Playground Injuries ***
10. The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore with Olympia Dukakis *
11. The Road To Qatar *
12. Nixon In China at the Met *** 1/2
13. The Whipping Man w Andre Braugher **
14. The Hallway Trilogy: Rose ***
15. The Hallway Trilogy: Paraffin ***
16. The Hallway Trilogy: Nursing **
17. Small Craft Warnings Tennessee Williams revival zero stars
18. The Diary Of A Madman with Geoffrey Rush at BAM ***
19. Timon Of Athens with Richard Thomas at the Public ***
20. The Broadway Musicals Of 1921 at Town Hall w Bobby Steggert ***
21. Nightingale at BAM dir Robert Lepage ***
22. Good People (w Frances McDormand) **
23. Beautiful Burnout (Frantic Assembly at St. Ann's) **
24. The Civilians at Joe's Pub w work-in-progress Let Me Ascertain You ***
25. Three Sisters (w Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard) *** 1/2
26. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark at Terminal 5 ***
27. The Pogues at Terminal 5 ** 1/2
28. Room (Virgina Woolf piece at Women's Project) ***
29. Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert -- The Musical * 1/2
30. Ghetto Klown (John Leguizamo show) ** 1/2
31. Cactus Flower (revival with Maxwell Caulfield) *
32. Teddy Thompson at City Winery *** 1/2
33. The Dream Of The Burning Boy ** 1/2
34. Double Flasehood (Shakespeare play) **
35. Macbeth (with John Douglas Thompson) **
36. Between Worlds/Entre Mundos (w Siudy) * 1/2
37. Arcadia (revival with Billy Crudup) *** 1/2
38. Mike Birbiglia's My Girlfriend's Boyfriend ***
39. Ron Sexsmith at Highline ** 1/2 (voice shaky that night; he's great)
40. How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (w Daniel Radcliffe) ***
41. Bengal Tiger At The Baghdad Zoo (w Robin Williams) **
42. Amadou & Mariam at Cooper Square Hotel ** 1/2 (bad acoustics, hard to see them)
43. Anything Goes (w Sutton Foster) ** 1/2
44. The Divine Sister (w Charles Busch) *** 1/2
45. War Horse (at Lincoln Center) ***
46. Catch Me If You Can (w Aaron Tveit) *** 1/2 production of ** 1/2 musical
47. Sleep No More (PunchDrunk's immersive Macbeth at McKittrick Hotel) *** 1/2
48. Peter and the Starcatcher (dir by Roger Rees) *** 1/2
49. Evans Haile at Etc. Etc. ***
50. The Motherf**ker With The Hat (w Chris Rock) ***
51. Being Harold Pinter at La MaMa ** 1/2
52. kd lang at Le Poisson Rouge *** (would have been **** if she had played a full concert)
53. Wonderland *
54. Jerusalem w Mark Rylance ***
55. Alexandria reading ***
56. Young Jean Lee's We're Gonna Die ***
57. Baby It's You *
58. Die Walkure at the Met w Deborah Voigt ***
59. Born Yesterday revival w Jim Belushi ***
60. The Normal Heart w Joe Mantello ***
61. The House Of Blue Leaves * 1/2
62. Sister Act * 1/2
63. The School For Lies (w Mamie Gummer) *** 1/2
64. Carson McCullers Talks About Love (w Suzanne Vega) * 1/2
65. The People In The Picture (w Donna Murphy) *
66. King Lear at BAM (w Derek Jacobi) ***
67. Pygmalion w Rupert Everett in UK **
68. Lord Of The Flies (Open Air) * 1/2
69. Operation Greenfield (UK Christian rock band) ** 1/2
70. Much Ado About Nothing (UK Globe) ** 1/2
71. All's Well That Ends Well (UK Globe) ****
72. One Man, Two Guvnors (UK) ***
73. Much Ado About Nothing (UK West End w David Tennant) ** 1/2
74. Ladysmith Black Mambazo (UK) *** 1/2
75. The Cherry Orchard (w Zoe Wannamker) ** 1/2
76. The Book Of Mormon *** 1/2
77. Lysistrata Jones * 1/2
78. The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide To Capitalism and Socialism with a Key To The Scriptures ***
79. The Illusion (Tony Kushner at Signature) *
80. One Arm (Tennessee Williams screenplay) ***
81. Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark * 1/2
82. Broadway By The Year: 1996 (at Town Hall) ** 1/2
83. All's Well That Ends Well/Shakespeare In The Park ** 1/2
84. Unnatural Acts (at CSC) ***
85. Zarkana/Cirque Du Soleil at Radio City Music Hall **
86. Measure For Measure/Shakespeare In The Park ***
87. Rickie Lee Jones at City Winery ** 1/2
88. Master Class (w Tyne Daly) ***
89. Silence! The Musical **
90. Hair (revival on Broadway) ***
91. Olive and the Bitter Herbs ** 1/2
92. The Bardy Bunch (FringeFest) **
93. 2 Burn (FF) * 1/2
94. Parker & Dizzy's Fabulous Journey To The End Of The Rainbow (FF) ** 1/2
95. Civilian (FF) **
96. Rachel Calof (FF) ** 1/2
97. Walls And Bridges (FF) **
98. What The Sparrow Said (FF) ** 1/2
99. Hard Travelin' With Woody (FF) ***
100. Romeo & Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending (FF) **
101. Books On Tape (FF) ** 1/2
102. Paper Cut (FF) ***
103. Leonard Cohen Koans (FF) *** 1/2
104. Yeast Nation (FF) ***
105. Hero: The Musical * 1/2
106. Cymbeline at Barrow St. Theatre ***
107. The Select (The Sun Also Rises) ERS at NYTW ** 1/2
108. Sweet And Sad **
109. Crane Story **
110. Septimus & Clarissa *** 1/2
111. Follies *** 1/2
112. Araby (FF) *
113. The Mountain Song *** 1/2
114. Pearl's Gone Blue (FF) ***
115. Lake Water **
116. The More Loving One (FF) **
117. Ennio: The Living Paper Cartoon (New York Musical Festival) ** 1/2
118. Newsies at Paper Mill Playhouse **
119. Kissless (NYMF) * 1/2
120. Crazy, Just Like Me (NYMF) ***
121. Time Between Us (NYMF) * 1/2
122. The Pigeon Boys reading (NYMF) ***
123. Fucking Hipsters (NYMF) **
124. Ghostlight (NYMF) ** 1/2
125. Cyclops: A Rock Opera (NYMF) *
126. Blanche: The Bittersweet Life of A Wild Prairie Dame (NYMF) *** 1/2
127. We Live Here (Zoe Kazan play) **
128. The Submission (w Jonathan Groff) **
129. Jack Perry Is Alive (And Dating) (NYMF) * 1/2
130. The Mountaintop ** 1/2
131. Central Avenue Breakdown (NYMF) ** 1/2
132. Kiki Baby (NYMF) ** 1/2
133. Greenwood (NYMF) *
134. Madame X (NYMF) **
135. Tut (NYMF) * 1/2
136. Gotta Getta Girl (NYMF staged reading) ** 1/2
137. Richard Serra exhibit at Gagosian ** 1/2 (space not tall and airy enough for piece)
138. The Agony & The Ecstasy Of Steve Jobs (at Public) ** 1/2
139. Man and Boy (w Frank Langella) * 1/2
140. Rumer in concert ****
141. Relatively Speaking * 1/2
142. PigPen's The Nightmare Story *** 1/2
143. Milk Like Sugar ***
144. Love's Labor's Lost (at Public) ** 1/2
145. The Atmosphere Of Memory (w Ellen Burstyn and John Glover) 1/2 *
146. Other Desert Cities (on Broadway w Rachel Griffiths) ** 1/2
147. 69 Degrees South (at BAM) * 1/2
148. Chinglish * 1/2
149. Sons Of The Prophet *** 1/2
150. Queen Of The Mist (w Mary Testa) ** 1/2
151. Godspell (on Broadway) ** 1/2
152. Hand To God ***
153. All-American **
154. King Lear w Sam Waterston (at Public) **
155. Satyagraha at Met w English National Opera production ****
156. Venus In Fur w Nina Arianda on Broadway ***
157. Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway ***
158. Fragments (Beckett plays) ***
159. Standing On Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays **
160. Radio City Christmas Spectacular ** 1/2
161. Private Lives (w Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross) **
162. Seminar (w Alan Rickman) **
163. White Christmas (at Paper Mill) ***
164. Wild Animals You Should Know ** 1/2
165. An Evening With Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin ***
166. Bonnie & Clyde **
167. The Cherry Orchard w Diane Wiest and John Turturro at CSC **
168. The Man Who Came To Dinner (at St. Clement's) **
169. Misterman w Cillian Murphy (at St. Ann's Warehouse) ** 1/2
170. Once (at New York Theatre Workshop) *** 1/2
171. Maple and Vine **
172. Krapp's Last Tape w John Hurt at BAM ***
173. Stick Fly **
174. Titus Andronicus (at Public) * 1/2
175. On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (w Harry Connick Jr.) * 1/2
176. Shlemiel The First ** 1/2
177. Lysistrata Jones on Broadway *
178. Close Up Space *
CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS (Only the CDs I've listened to thoroughly and with a strong emphasis on the ones I like, so don't think I love everything I listen to -- I just don't bother really listening to the ones I don't like more than once and don't think it's fair to rate on a cursory listen)
1. Cake -- Showroom Of Compassion ** 1/2
2. Charles Bradley -- No Time For Dreaming **
3. Chris Riffle -- Introducing Chris Riffle ** 1/2
4. Cyndi Lauper -- Memphis Blues **
5. John Grant -- Queen Of Denmark ***/
6. Local Natives -- Gorilla Manor ** 1/2
7. Antony and the Johnson - Swanlights ** 1/2
8. Olof Arnalds -- Innundir Skinni **
9. Robert Wyatt -- For The Ghosts Within ***
10. Neil Diamond: The Bang Years ** 1/2
11. Adele -- 21 *** 1/2
12. The Low Anthem -- Smart Flesh *** 1/2
13. Voxhaul Broadcast -- Timing Is Everything **
14. Vinicius Cantuaria & Bill Frisell -- Lagrimas Mexicanas ** 1/2
15. Ladysmith Black Mambazo -- Songs From A Zulu Farm *** 1/2
16. George Michael -- Faith reissue *** 1/2
17. Darlene Love -- The Sound Of Love: The Very Best Of Darlene Love ****
18. Robert Plant -- Band Of Joy *** 1/2
19. Amos Lee -- Mission Bell **
20. Charlie Haden Quartet West -- Sophisticated Ladies *** 1/2
21. The Poison Tree -- The Poison Tree ***
22. Rumer -- Seasons Of My Soul *** 1/2
23. Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Del McCoury Band -- American Legacies *** 1/2
24. David Wax Museum -- Everything Is Saved ***
25. Bruno Mars -- Doowops & Hooligans *** 1/2
26. The National - High Violet ***/
27. Tom Jones -- Praise & Blame *** 1/2
28. William Tyler -- Behold The Spirit ***/
29. Various Artists -- The Sounds of Siam ***/
30. Two Door Cinema Club -- Tourist History ***
31. Elvis Costello -- National Ransom ***/
32. 3 Fervent Travelers -- Time For Three *** 1/2
33. Dennis Brown -- The Crown Prince Of Reggae: Singles 1972-1985 ***
34. Ron Sexsmith -- Long Player Late Bloomer *** 1/2
35. Simon & Garfunkel -- Bridge Over Troubled Water ****
36. Teddy Thompson -- Bella *** 1/2
37. Marsha Ambrosius -- Late Nights & Early Mornings ** 1/2
38. Various Artists -- Sucker Punch soundtrack **
39. Henry Wolfe -- Linda Vista ** 1/2 / (but want to listen to more)
40. Various Artists -- Everybody Wants To Be A Cat: Disney Jazz, Volume 1 ** 1/2
41. kd lang -- Sing It Loud *** 1/2
42. Anita O'Day -- Sings The Most ****
43. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues *** 1/2
44. The Secret Sisters - The Secret Sisters ***
45. Frank Sinatra -- Ring-A-Ding-Ding ***/
46. Arctic Monkeys -- Suck It And See **
47. Beastie Boys -- Hot Sauce Committee Part Two *** 1/2
48. The Bo-Keys -- Got To Get Back ***
49. Bright Eyes -- The People's Key ***
50. Fleet Foxes -- Helplessness Blues *** 1/2
51. Brad Paisley -- This Is Country Music *** 1/2
52. Theophilus London -- Timez Are Weird These Days **
53. The Coral -- Butterfly House *** 1/2
54. Cowboy Junkies -- Demons ** 1/2
55. Colin Hay -- Gathering Mercury ** 1/2
56. Art Pepper -- Meets The Rhythm Section ****
57. Field Dasy -- Projector **
58. Gretchen Parlato -- The Lost and Found **
59. Ian Axel -- This Is The New Year **
60. Ingram Hill -- Look Your Best **
61. Jared Mees & Grown Children -- Only Good Thoughts Can Stay **
62. James Carter -- Caribbean Rhapsody ***
63. Heidi Spencer -- Under Streetlight Glow **
64. Joan As Police Woman -- Deep Field **
65. John Martyn -- Heaven & Earth **
66. Young Presidents -- Freedom Of Speech * 1/2
67. John Shannon -- Songs Of The Desert River **
68. Justin Bond - Dendrophile **
69. Justin Hines -- Days To Recall ** 1/2
70. Kate Bush -- The Director's Cut ***
71. Keren Ann -- 101 ** 1/2
72. Khaira Arby -- Timbuktu Tarab ***
73. Kina Grannis -- Stairwells * 1/2
74. The Magic Numbers -- Runaway ***/
75. Chris Young -- Neon ***
76. Leonard Cohen -- The Complete Columbia Albums Collection *** 1/2
77. James Taylor -- Sweet Baby James *** 1/2
78. Paul Simon -- Songwriter *** 1/2
79. Kate & Anna McGarrigle -- Tell My Sister *** 1/2
80. Various Artists -- The Lost Notebooks Of Hank Williams ***
81. Tom Waits -- Bad As Me ****
82. Darrell Scott -- Long Ride Home ** 1/2
83. Hall & Oates -- all their singles, in order *** 1/2
84. The Jayhawks -- Mockingbird Time ** 1/2
85. Pistol Annies -- Pistol Annies ***
86. Wilco -- The Whole Love ** 1/2
87. Various Artists -- Boardwalk Empire ***
88. Beastie Boys -- Hot Sauce Committee Part Two ***
89. Dale Watson -- The Sun Sessions ** 1/2
90. Miranda Lambert -- Four The Record ***/
91. Radiohead -- King Of Limbs ***
92. Stevie Nicks -- In Your Dreams ** 1/2
93. Lil Wayne -- Tha Carter IV **
94. Mandy Barnett -- Winter Wonderland ** 1/2
95. Dave Stewart -- The Blackbird Diaries ** 1/2
96. Feist -- Metals ***
97. Miles Davis -- Bitches Brew Live *** 1/2
98. Thomas Dybdahl -- Songs **
99. Zuchero -- Chocabek ***
100. John Brown Trio -- Dancing With Duke ** 1/2
101. Emmylou Harris -- Hard Bargain ***
102. Various Artists - Live From The Old Town School Vol 1-4 *** 1/2
103. Toro Y Moi -- Underneath The Pine **
104. George Strait -- Here For A Good Time ***
105. Gregg Allmann -- Low Country Blues ***/
106. Dawes -- Nothing Is Wrong ** 1/2
107. Glen Campbell -- Ghost On The Canvas *** 1/2
108. PJ Harvey -- Let England Shake ***/
109. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins -- Diamond Mine *** 1/2
110. Lindi Ortega -- Little Red Boots ***/
111. She & Him -- A Very She & Him Christmas ** 1/2
112. Justin Bieber -- Under The Mistletoe ** 1/2
113. Mikal Cronin -- Mikal Cronin ***/
Updated December 31, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
The Career Of Mantan Moreland -- A Poem
YOU CAN'T WIN (THE NAMES OF MANTAN MORELAND, ACTOR)
You can't win, Nightwatchman
Jefferson
Jeff
Jeff Jefferson
Jefferson "Jeff" Jackson
Jefferson "Jeff" Smith
Elevator boy
Jeff The Hotel Porter
Sam The Night Club Janitor
Shoeshine man
Red cap #2 (uncredited)
Birmingham Brown
Alabam
Barbershop Porter
Bartender
Subway rider
Messenger
Counterman
Waiter
Old man, you're out of luck
--Michael Giltz
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
1939: The Greatest Year For Movies
Fans of movies have often pegged 1939 as the greatest year in history for the studio system. And no wonder: it's chock full of classic films. Years ago, I decided it 1939 really was the greatest year in film history then I should see as many films from that year as possible. Good, bad, or indifferent, I wanted to know what I would see if I headed to movies week after week during Hollywood's vintage year. Below is a list of every movie I've seen from 1939 that I can track down and remember. Halfway through the project, I decided to write quick summaries of the movies I saw since so many of them were obscure. I'm pretty sure you know what Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and Gone With The Wind are about.
1939 -- HOLLYWOOD'S GREATEST YEAR
Gunga Din ****
The Hound Of The Baskervilles ****
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame ****
The Lady Vanishes ****
Midnight ****
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington ****
Ninotchka ****
Rules of the Game ****
Stagecoach ****
The Wizard Of Oz ****
The Women ****
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes *** ½
Love Affair *** ½
Of Mice and Men *** ½
The Roaring Twenties *** ½
Wuthering Heights *** ½
Allegheny Uprising (John Wayne and Claire Tevor) ***
Bachelor Mother (Ginger Rogers w baby and David Niven) ***
Beau Geste ***
Charlie Chan in City In Darkness ***
Clouds Over Europe see Q Planes
Destry Rides Again ***
Dodge City ***
Drums Along The Mohawk ***
Five Came Back (Lucille Ball – plane crash in jungle) ***
Gone With The Wind ***
Goodbye, Mr. Chips ***
Intermezzo: A Love Story ***
Invisible Stripes (Geroge Raft, William Holden, Bogie, ex-cons) ***
The Oklahoma Kid ***
Only Angels Have Wings ***
Q Planes aka Clouds Over Europe ***
The Saint Strikes Back ***
The Stars Look Down ***
The Story Of Vernon and Irene Castle ***
Union Pacific ***
Young Mr. Lincoln ***
The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn ** 1/2
Calling Dr. Kildare ** ½
Captain Fury ** ½
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island ** ½
In Name Only ** 1/2
The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt ** ½
Night Nurse ** 1/2
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex ** ½
The Real Glory (Gary Cooper, Phillipines, Moro rebellion) ** ½
The Saint in London ** ½
The Secret of Dr. Kildare ** ½
Stanley and Livingstone ** ½
Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever **
Babes In Arms **
Charlie Chan in Reno **
The Falcon’s Brother **
Made For Each Other **
Maisie (Ann Southern) **
Mr. Moto’s Last Warning **
One Third Of A Nation **
Sylvia Scarlett **
Dancing Co-Ed * 1/2
Espionage Agent * 1/2
Fast and Loose * ½
The Frozen Limits * ½
The Great Man Votes (scenery chewing John Barrymore) * ½
Honolulu * 1/2
The Ice Follies of 1939 (Jimmy Stewart and Joan Crawford) * ½
It’s A Wonderful World (Jimmy Stewart and Claudette Colbert) * ½
Judge Hardy and Son * ½ (Andy Hardy series)
Let Us Live (1939) * 1/2
Mr. Moto In Danger Island * ½
Mr. Moto Takes A Vacation * 1/2
Nancy Drew, Reporter * ½
Society Lawyer (1939) * ½
Stronger Than Desire (1939) * ½
They Made Her A Spy * ½
They Made Me A Criminal * ½
Everything Happens At Night *
Fall In *
Hay Foot *
Here Comes Trouble *
Home On The Prairie (Gene Autry vehicle) *
Jamaica Inn *
Nancy Drew, Trouble Shooter *
Naughty But Nice *
Nick Carter, Master Detective *
Rhythm Romance aka Some Like It Hot *
Tanks A Million *
Topper Takes A Trip *
Way Down South *
Harlem Rides The Range no stars
Charley’s Big-Hearted Aunt (tired farce) no stars
Zenobia (Laurel & Hardy) no stars
87 movies
Updated as of 08/14/2011
ALLEGHENY UPRISING *** -- Surprisingly nuanced film about folk in the colonies before the Revolutionary War who chafe under the tyrannical behavior of a British soldier and the smuggling that threatens their livelihood. John Wayne leads them in semi-legal uprising, always striving to stay in the law while they risk their lives to expose the bad guys and force the British military to meet their demands. Claire Trevor fell hard for Wayne as a kid and desperately wants him to see her as a woman now. British not all bad and colonists not all good; even the Indians are presented in a somewhat complex manner. Smart little movie and quite effective given the “curse” that dooms most movies set around the Revolutionary Era to being awfully dull.
CHARLEY’S BIG-HEARTED AUNT no stars – The umpteenth version of this tired farce is very threadbare with cheap production values, no standout talent in the cast and the feeling that you’re watching some community theater troupe delivering a very bored performance of a play they’ve done one too many times.
DANCING CO-ED * ½ -- When the distaff part of a famous dancing team gets pregnant, the studio decides to turn it into a publicity stunt. They do a nationwide talent hunt at colleges across the country to find the perfect female co-star for the romantic man in his next movie. But why take chances? The studio plants a ringer (Lana Turner) in a small mid-western college. Only the school reporter is convinced it’s a scam, only to have the ringer herself “work” with him to see if they can spot the plant. Nothing special.
EVERYTHING HAPPENS AT NIGHT * -- If you’re wondering how ice skater Sonja Henie became a movie star for a few brief years, this movie will leave you still wondering. As an actress, Henie skates beautifully. Here in her most substantial role, Henie plays the daughter of a Nobel Prize-winning author hiding from publicity and the Nazis. Ray Milland and Robert Cummings are two reporters hot on his trail and both hot for Henie. They vie for her affection while taking way too long to figure out what is really going on and then, of course, trying to protect her and papa from the Nazis. Dull.
THE FROZEN LIMITS * ½ – Would-be British Marx Brothers (with six or so instead of four; I couldn’t be bothered to actually count them all) head to the Yukon Territory to search for gold in a timid tale of crazy old coots, young love and a hidden mine bursting with “ore with an e.” That’s actually one of the more amusing jokes. One oddball bit of whimsy worked: the Canadian Mounties keep singing in unison wherever they go. That was about it.
HARLEM RIDES THE RANGE no stars – In this all black western, Herb Jeffries gives Gene Autry a run for his money as the “dullest singing cowboy” on the big screen. In this case, the production values are even lower and the story so minimal, this film ranks even lower than Autry’s Home on the Prairie. Jeffries is a new foreman of a ranch who suspects foul play in the disappearance of a miner who may have hit a rich vein but has been missing ever since. Lucius Brooks is his sidekick, a fella who never saw work he couldn’t avoid or a word he couldn’t mangle. Brooks seems like a stereotypical “colored” character but in this context he’s just comic relief. Sometimes a goof-off is just a good-off. Spencer Williams – the ground-breaking writer, director and producer – is along for the ride in a minor role and also had a hand in the script, such as it is. Williams of course went on to play Andy in the TV version of “Amos “n’ Andy.”
HOME ON THE PRAIRIE * -- Gene Autry has to be one of the stiffest movie stars around (except when he’s singing). This very typical B movie plays more like a C or D movie. Autry is a cattle inspector. The bad guys have herds infected with hoof and mouth disease and are trying to sneak them to market and blame the problems on Autry. At 59 minutes, it’s very drawn out., thin fare.
HONOLULU * ½ -- Robert Young proves he’s more of a dependable TV presence than a magnetic leading man…even when he plays two leading men. In this movie Young plays a famous movie star looking for a break from his rabid fans. Young ALSO plays a wealthy plantation owner in Honolulu who is a dead ringer for the star. They trade places and complications ensue, if not hilarity. George Burns and Gracie Allen are along for the ride, providing the only sparks of humor in this tired farce.
JUDGE HARDY AND SON * ½ -- A rather tired episode in the Andy Hardy series. But there’s one terrific scene for star Mickey Rooney. Andy Hardy’s mom has fallen seriously ill, with Andy and his sister risking life and limb to get her the medicine/doctor she needs. All they can do is wait. Andy is alone in the hallway and prays tearfully to God to spare his mother. Even back in 1939, scenes of prayer weren’t exactly common in the movies. This scene is so natural and moving and direct, with Rooney given a marvelous close-up that tears your heart out as he cries and pleads his case. It’s a corker.
LET US LIVE * ½ Pretty stiff melodrama. Henry Fonda is a very decent guy who drives a taxi. He gets falsely identified as a killer and sentenced to the chair. His girlfriend/fiace Maureen O’Sullivan desperately works to prove his innocence. The cops are so lazy (even when Fonda is in jail and the same gang pulls another brutal heist, the cops can’t be bothered to even imagine Fonda might be innocent) that it’s no fun. The film’s lone saving grace involves the ending (so stop reading if you don’t want a spoiler). Fonda becomes deeply cynical about the law and justice and is clearly bitter. He remains so after being freed, which is the one touch that seems interesting and fresh. His faith isn’t restored; it’s shattered forever and the movie makes no bones about that.
MR. MOTO’S LAST WARNING ** -- A trim little programmer with Peter Lorre as the famous international policeman. One of three Motos released in 1939 on the eve of war. This one came out on January 20 and had Moto frustrating the plans of saboteurs who hope to blow up ships off the coast of Egypt and sow divisions among the British and French. We’re never told the government these baddies work for. Officials merely gasp when they discover the truth during the last moments of the film. Germany, anyone? (One cut in-joke shows a Charlie Chan film playing at a movie palace but about to close.)
MR. MOTO IN DANGER ISLAND * ½ - A nondescript entry in which Mr. Moto takes on drug smugglers in Puerto Rico. Two points of interest: tragic character actor Warren Hymer (who drank himself out of Hollywood by urinating on Harry Cohn’s desk) as a big palooka and humanitarian Jean Hersholt as one of the many suspects. Opened April 7.
MR. MOTO TAKES A VACATION * ½ -- Opened July 7. Final Mr. Moto with Peter Lorre (just as the Japanese would soon become enemies of the US and a movie series with a Japanese hero untenable) finds Mr. Moto protecting the crown of Sheba and on the trail of a master criminal. Quite routine.
ONE THIRD OF A NATION ** -- Well, here’s a fascinating oddity. It’s based on a play by Arthur Arent that was put on the WPA and every cliché about the WPA’s leftist leanings is on display here. The play shows an Everyman who wants to get some decent housing – he travels through 250 years of housing history in the US, meeting landlords and supers and desperate tenants and all sorts of characters that depict the horrible housing conditions for most of the country’s history. They turned this into a film? Not quite. One Third Of A Nation (unfortunately, I missed the moment when the title was explained) was released in 1939 and sticks mostly to the present. Sylvia Sidney stars as a young woman who lives in a tenement house that catches fire. Her little brother (future director Sidney Lumet!) has a fall from a dilapidated fire escape and gets crippled for life. First the boy is whisked to the hospital by a wealthy man who is horrified to discover he’s the slum lord who owns this tenement. He vows to right this wrong and tries to begin by kicking out a whore, until Sidney’s friend –a leftist – wises him up to the hypocrisy of this. Everyone stands around declaiming their speeches in a stiff manner, with Sidney and the wealthy playboy (Leif Erikson) falling in love without realizing it. But the theatrical origins of the show start to take effect. First the boy Joey (lumet) comes back from the hospital on crutches and goes a little nutty. The rundown building literally starts talking to him and flashes back to the 1800s when the tenement was the site of a cholera epidemic. The building laughs at the boy and tells the kid desperately poor people will always keep moving in. The kid snaps and sets the building on fire. It’s a dullish melodrama, but on the fringes you can spot some fun: the scenes shot on city streets have an authentic feel and it looks like they filmed firemen working to put out a real fire. The defiant whore is never punished, unusual for a post-Code movie and the fires include bodies on fire that leap in despair from the building, screaming in fright. None of that can rescue the movie’s dullness, but it’s intriguing nonetheless, right down to the Soviet kitsch of the finale with smiling profiles superimposed over scenes of new and wholesome buildings where tenants can walk in parks and swim in pools. Maybe the one third of a nation can be okay after all.
Q PLANES *** -- Jaunty doesn’t even begin to describe this interesting British film that’s paced like The Front Page. It’s just a few months before WW II would break out and everyone knew it was coming. The bad guys aren’t identified but are probably Germans. British test planes are disappearing with top secret equipment and espionage agent Ralph Richardson is the only one who realizes it’s not just a series of “accidents.” But this is as much a breezy comedy as it is a spy story. Richardson is eccentric and unflappable and dapper (and reportedly an inspiration for Steed in The Avengers). His sister is a newspaper reporter who keeps scooping him. He also has a girlfriend Richardson continually makes plans with and then cancels. Then there’s Laurence Olivier as a test pilot. Like everyone else, he speaks in rapid fire patter that’s hilariously vivid. If Olivier is exchanging insults with the head of the plane manufacturer, you know it’s the sort of movie where they yell at each other but deep down, by George, they really like each other. Comic, serious, silly, well-acted if not terribly inventive plot-wise. (The bad guys have a secret ray to disable planes that looks like something out of Buck Rogers and is probably more important and useful than anything they could discover in their spying.) Fresh and fun.
THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL * ½ -- In this dull Warner Bros. drama, John Garfield is a boxing champ forced out of town on a bum murder rap without a penny to his name. He wanders onto the ranch where the Dead End Kids are wisecracking it up while they look to get regenerated (reformed). One of their older sisters is blonde enough to attract Garfield’s attention. Always wary of being a sucker, Garfield finally – sort of – learns to help out others. In truly odd casting, Claude Rains is a tough guy detective who wants to track Garfield down and bring him to justice to regain his good name after frying another guy in the electric chair. Rains is all wrong in the role, especially as he plays the guy. Garfield and the gal never convincingly click and the Dead End Kids just don’t belong on a ranch (and look about 25 to 30 years old to boot). Slim stuff.
WAY DOWN SOUTH * -- Bizarre curio makes Gone With The Wind almost seem subtle. On a plantation, the massah dies and leaves everything (including his beloved darkies) to his young son, Bobby Breen. Breen was a child actor with an angelic sort of voice, sort of a male Deanna Durbin and films were just an excuse to have him chirp out a number or two. In this case, the boy’s crooked executor treats the slaves cruelly, beating them and such when of course the massah never did no such thing. The cruel adult also wants to sell them off, not even keeping families together! The lad must risk everything to prevent such a cruel fate. Surprisingly, the story and script are by Langston Hughes and the pioneering black actor Clarence Muse, who plays Uncle Caton in the film. Full credit to the filmmakers for employing them but demerits to someone somewhere for the absurd tale they delivered. A bizarre high point occurs when Breen despairs of being able to halt the auction of his slaves. They’re all gathered in a barn during a storm, weeping and wailing over their fate. Breen stumbles in from the rain, dressed in rags, gets up on a bale of hay and launches into “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child.” Yes, singing an old Negro spiritual to his slaves! And it’s actually quite a good arrangement and performance I must say. Breen in general is good, despite the annoyingly wholesome character he plays here. A real oddity.
1939 -- HOLLYWOOD'S GREATEST YEAR
Gunga Din ****
The Hound Of The Baskervilles ****
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame ****
The Lady Vanishes ****
Midnight ****
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington ****
Ninotchka ****
Rules of the Game ****
Stagecoach ****
The Wizard Of Oz ****
The Women ****
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes *** ½
Love Affair *** ½
Of Mice and Men *** ½
The Roaring Twenties *** ½
Wuthering Heights *** ½
Allegheny Uprising (John Wayne and Claire Tevor) ***
Bachelor Mother (Ginger Rogers w baby and David Niven) ***
Beau Geste ***
Charlie Chan in City In Darkness ***
Clouds Over Europe see Q Planes
Destry Rides Again ***
Dodge City ***
Drums Along The Mohawk ***
Five Came Back (Lucille Ball – plane crash in jungle) ***
Gone With The Wind ***
Goodbye, Mr. Chips ***
Intermezzo: A Love Story ***
Invisible Stripes (Geroge Raft, William Holden, Bogie, ex-cons) ***
The Oklahoma Kid ***
Only Angels Have Wings ***
Q Planes aka Clouds Over Europe ***
The Saint Strikes Back ***
The Stars Look Down ***
The Story Of Vernon and Irene Castle ***
Union Pacific ***
Young Mr. Lincoln ***
The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn ** 1/2
Calling Dr. Kildare ** ½
Captain Fury ** ½
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island ** ½
In Name Only ** 1/2
The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt ** ½
Night Nurse ** 1/2
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex ** ½
The Real Glory (Gary Cooper, Phillipines, Moro rebellion) ** ½
The Saint in London ** ½
The Secret of Dr. Kildare ** ½
Stanley and Livingstone ** ½
Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever **
Babes In Arms **
Charlie Chan in Reno **
The Falcon’s Brother **
Made For Each Other **
Maisie (Ann Southern) **
Mr. Moto’s Last Warning **
One Third Of A Nation **
Sylvia Scarlett **
Dancing Co-Ed * 1/2
Espionage Agent * 1/2
Fast and Loose * ½
The Frozen Limits * ½
The Great Man Votes (scenery chewing John Barrymore) * ½
Honolulu * 1/2
The Ice Follies of 1939 (Jimmy Stewart and Joan Crawford) * ½
It’s A Wonderful World (Jimmy Stewart and Claudette Colbert) * ½
Judge Hardy and Son * ½ (Andy Hardy series)
Let Us Live (1939) * 1/2
Mr. Moto In Danger Island * ½
Mr. Moto Takes A Vacation * 1/2
Nancy Drew, Reporter * ½
Society Lawyer (1939) * ½
Stronger Than Desire (1939) * ½
They Made Her A Spy * ½
They Made Me A Criminal * ½
Everything Happens At Night *
Fall In *
Hay Foot *
Here Comes Trouble *
Home On The Prairie (Gene Autry vehicle) *
Jamaica Inn *
Nancy Drew, Trouble Shooter *
Naughty But Nice *
Nick Carter, Master Detective *
Rhythm Romance aka Some Like It Hot *
Tanks A Million *
Topper Takes A Trip *
Way Down South *
Harlem Rides The Range no stars
Charley’s Big-Hearted Aunt (tired farce) no stars
Zenobia (Laurel & Hardy) no stars
87 movies
Updated as of 08/14/2011
ALLEGHENY UPRISING *** -- Surprisingly nuanced film about folk in the colonies before the Revolutionary War who chafe under the tyrannical behavior of a British soldier and the smuggling that threatens their livelihood. John Wayne leads them in semi-legal uprising, always striving to stay in the law while they risk their lives to expose the bad guys and force the British military to meet their demands. Claire Trevor fell hard for Wayne as a kid and desperately wants him to see her as a woman now. British not all bad and colonists not all good; even the Indians are presented in a somewhat complex manner. Smart little movie and quite effective given the “curse” that dooms most movies set around the Revolutionary Era to being awfully dull.
CHARLEY’S BIG-HEARTED AUNT no stars – The umpteenth version of this tired farce is very threadbare with cheap production values, no standout talent in the cast and the feeling that you’re watching some community theater troupe delivering a very bored performance of a play they’ve done one too many times.
DANCING CO-ED * ½ -- When the distaff part of a famous dancing team gets pregnant, the studio decides to turn it into a publicity stunt. They do a nationwide talent hunt at colleges across the country to find the perfect female co-star for the romantic man in his next movie. But why take chances? The studio plants a ringer (Lana Turner) in a small mid-western college. Only the school reporter is convinced it’s a scam, only to have the ringer herself “work” with him to see if they can spot the plant. Nothing special.
EVERYTHING HAPPENS AT NIGHT * -- If you’re wondering how ice skater Sonja Henie became a movie star for a few brief years, this movie will leave you still wondering. As an actress, Henie skates beautifully. Here in her most substantial role, Henie plays the daughter of a Nobel Prize-winning author hiding from publicity and the Nazis. Ray Milland and Robert Cummings are two reporters hot on his trail and both hot for Henie. They vie for her affection while taking way too long to figure out what is really going on and then, of course, trying to protect her and papa from the Nazis. Dull.
THE FROZEN LIMITS * ½ – Would-be British Marx Brothers (with six or so instead of four; I couldn’t be bothered to actually count them all) head to the Yukon Territory to search for gold in a timid tale of crazy old coots, young love and a hidden mine bursting with “ore with an e.” That’s actually one of the more amusing jokes. One oddball bit of whimsy worked: the Canadian Mounties keep singing in unison wherever they go. That was about it.
HARLEM RIDES THE RANGE no stars – In this all black western, Herb Jeffries gives Gene Autry a run for his money as the “dullest singing cowboy” on the big screen. In this case, the production values are even lower and the story so minimal, this film ranks even lower than Autry’s Home on the Prairie. Jeffries is a new foreman of a ranch who suspects foul play in the disappearance of a miner who may have hit a rich vein but has been missing ever since. Lucius Brooks is his sidekick, a fella who never saw work he couldn’t avoid or a word he couldn’t mangle. Brooks seems like a stereotypical “colored” character but in this context he’s just comic relief. Sometimes a goof-off is just a good-off. Spencer Williams – the ground-breaking writer, director and producer – is along for the ride in a minor role and also had a hand in the script, such as it is. Williams of course went on to play Andy in the TV version of “Amos “n’ Andy.”
HOME ON THE PRAIRIE * -- Gene Autry has to be one of the stiffest movie stars around (except when he’s singing). This very typical B movie plays more like a C or D movie. Autry is a cattle inspector. The bad guys have herds infected with hoof and mouth disease and are trying to sneak them to market and blame the problems on Autry. At 59 minutes, it’s very drawn out., thin fare.
HONOLULU * ½ -- Robert Young proves he’s more of a dependable TV presence than a magnetic leading man…even when he plays two leading men. In this movie Young plays a famous movie star looking for a break from his rabid fans. Young ALSO plays a wealthy plantation owner in Honolulu who is a dead ringer for the star. They trade places and complications ensue, if not hilarity. George Burns and Gracie Allen are along for the ride, providing the only sparks of humor in this tired farce.
JUDGE HARDY AND SON * ½ -- A rather tired episode in the Andy Hardy series. But there’s one terrific scene for star Mickey Rooney. Andy Hardy’s mom has fallen seriously ill, with Andy and his sister risking life and limb to get her the medicine/doctor she needs. All they can do is wait. Andy is alone in the hallway and prays tearfully to God to spare his mother. Even back in 1939, scenes of prayer weren’t exactly common in the movies. This scene is so natural and moving and direct, with Rooney given a marvelous close-up that tears your heart out as he cries and pleads his case. It’s a corker.
LET US LIVE * ½ Pretty stiff melodrama. Henry Fonda is a very decent guy who drives a taxi. He gets falsely identified as a killer and sentenced to the chair. His girlfriend/fiace Maureen O’Sullivan desperately works to prove his innocence. The cops are so lazy (even when Fonda is in jail and the same gang pulls another brutal heist, the cops can’t be bothered to even imagine Fonda might be innocent) that it’s no fun. The film’s lone saving grace involves the ending (so stop reading if you don’t want a spoiler). Fonda becomes deeply cynical about the law and justice and is clearly bitter. He remains so after being freed, which is the one touch that seems interesting and fresh. His faith isn’t restored; it’s shattered forever and the movie makes no bones about that.
MR. MOTO’S LAST WARNING ** -- A trim little programmer with Peter Lorre as the famous international policeman. One of three Motos released in 1939 on the eve of war. This one came out on January 20 and had Moto frustrating the plans of saboteurs who hope to blow up ships off the coast of Egypt and sow divisions among the British and French. We’re never told the government these baddies work for. Officials merely gasp when they discover the truth during the last moments of the film. Germany, anyone? (One cut in-joke shows a Charlie Chan film playing at a movie palace but about to close.)
MR. MOTO IN DANGER ISLAND * ½ - A nondescript entry in which Mr. Moto takes on drug smugglers in Puerto Rico. Two points of interest: tragic character actor Warren Hymer (who drank himself out of Hollywood by urinating on Harry Cohn’s desk) as a big palooka and humanitarian Jean Hersholt as one of the many suspects. Opened April 7.
MR. MOTO TAKES A VACATION * ½ -- Opened July 7. Final Mr. Moto with Peter Lorre (just as the Japanese would soon become enemies of the US and a movie series with a Japanese hero untenable) finds Mr. Moto protecting the crown of Sheba and on the trail of a master criminal. Quite routine.
ONE THIRD OF A NATION ** -- Well, here’s a fascinating oddity. It’s based on a play by Arthur Arent that was put on the WPA and every cliché about the WPA’s leftist leanings is on display here. The play shows an Everyman who wants to get some decent housing – he travels through 250 years of housing history in the US, meeting landlords and supers and desperate tenants and all sorts of characters that depict the horrible housing conditions for most of the country’s history. They turned this into a film? Not quite. One Third Of A Nation (unfortunately, I missed the moment when the title was explained) was released in 1939 and sticks mostly to the present. Sylvia Sidney stars as a young woman who lives in a tenement house that catches fire. Her little brother (future director Sidney Lumet!) has a fall from a dilapidated fire escape and gets crippled for life. First the boy is whisked to the hospital by a wealthy man who is horrified to discover he’s the slum lord who owns this tenement. He vows to right this wrong and tries to begin by kicking out a whore, until Sidney’s friend –a leftist – wises him up to the hypocrisy of this. Everyone stands around declaiming their speeches in a stiff manner, with Sidney and the wealthy playboy (Leif Erikson) falling in love without realizing it. But the theatrical origins of the show start to take effect. First the boy Joey (lumet) comes back from the hospital on crutches and goes a little nutty. The rundown building literally starts talking to him and flashes back to the 1800s when the tenement was the site of a cholera epidemic. The building laughs at the boy and tells the kid desperately poor people will always keep moving in. The kid snaps and sets the building on fire. It’s a dullish melodrama, but on the fringes you can spot some fun: the scenes shot on city streets have an authentic feel and it looks like they filmed firemen working to put out a real fire. The defiant whore is never punished, unusual for a post-Code movie and the fires include bodies on fire that leap in despair from the building, screaming in fright. None of that can rescue the movie’s dullness, but it’s intriguing nonetheless, right down to the Soviet kitsch of the finale with smiling profiles superimposed over scenes of new and wholesome buildings where tenants can walk in parks and swim in pools. Maybe the one third of a nation can be okay after all.
Q PLANES *** -- Jaunty doesn’t even begin to describe this interesting British film that’s paced like The Front Page. It’s just a few months before WW II would break out and everyone knew it was coming. The bad guys aren’t identified but are probably Germans. British test planes are disappearing with top secret equipment and espionage agent Ralph Richardson is the only one who realizes it’s not just a series of “accidents.” But this is as much a breezy comedy as it is a spy story. Richardson is eccentric and unflappable and dapper (and reportedly an inspiration for Steed in The Avengers). His sister is a newspaper reporter who keeps scooping him. He also has a girlfriend Richardson continually makes plans with and then cancels. Then there’s Laurence Olivier as a test pilot. Like everyone else, he speaks in rapid fire patter that’s hilariously vivid. If Olivier is exchanging insults with the head of the plane manufacturer, you know it’s the sort of movie where they yell at each other but deep down, by George, they really like each other. Comic, serious, silly, well-acted if not terribly inventive plot-wise. (The bad guys have a secret ray to disable planes that looks like something out of Buck Rogers and is probably more important and useful than anything they could discover in their spying.) Fresh and fun.
THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL * ½ -- In this dull Warner Bros. drama, John Garfield is a boxing champ forced out of town on a bum murder rap without a penny to his name. He wanders onto the ranch where the Dead End Kids are wisecracking it up while they look to get regenerated (reformed). One of their older sisters is blonde enough to attract Garfield’s attention. Always wary of being a sucker, Garfield finally – sort of – learns to help out others. In truly odd casting, Claude Rains is a tough guy detective who wants to track Garfield down and bring him to justice to regain his good name after frying another guy in the electric chair. Rains is all wrong in the role, especially as he plays the guy. Garfield and the gal never convincingly click and the Dead End Kids just don’t belong on a ranch (and look about 25 to 30 years old to boot). Slim stuff.
WAY DOWN SOUTH * -- Bizarre curio makes Gone With The Wind almost seem subtle. On a plantation, the massah dies and leaves everything (including his beloved darkies) to his young son, Bobby Breen. Breen was a child actor with an angelic sort of voice, sort of a male Deanna Durbin and films were just an excuse to have him chirp out a number or two. In this case, the boy’s crooked executor treats the slaves cruelly, beating them and such when of course the massah never did no such thing. The cruel adult also wants to sell them off, not even keeping families together! The lad must risk everything to prevent such a cruel fate. Surprisingly, the story and script are by Langston Hughes and the pioneering black actor Clarence Muse, who plays Uncle Caton in the film. Full credit to the filmmakers for employing them but demerits to someone somewhere for the absurd tale they delivered. A bizarre high point occurs when Breen despairs of being able to halt the auction of his slaves. They’re all gathered in a barn during a storm, weeping and wailing over their fate. Breen stumbles in from the rain, dressed in rags, gets up on a bale of hay and launches into “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child.” Yes, singing an old Negro spiritual to his slaves! And it’s actually quite a good arrangement and performance I must say. Breen in general is good, despite the annoyingly wholesome character he plays here. A real oddity.
Monday, August 01, 2011
"On Alfred Pond" Is Back!
Guest blogger Peter McClain has been away far too long with his musings on life in upstate New York. But a week volunteering at Vacation Bible School prompted Pete to put pen to paper (or is that "index finger to keyboard"? and share some tales far from Lake Wobegon but rather closer to Alfred, New York. (By the way, for those of you on the coasts, Vacation Bible School is like summer camp for evangelicals.)
ON ALFRED POND: VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL ROCKS!
By Peter McClain
Vacation Bible School (VBS) invaded Alfred Pond last week and yours truly was involved. I'd been able to hide behind Micah these past three years when volunteers were requested since we didn't want to stick him in the nursery for 3 hours every night for a week and being the dutiful dad I stayed home with him. Unfortunately, kids grow up (no matter how well you've malnourished them) and thus Micah was old enough to attend his first VBS. So, I volunteered to accompany a pre-K group through the nightly activities, which made me the only male crew leader of the youngest set. That, of course, made me a magnet for the most hyperactive boys searching for a father figure.
A night of VBS consists of an opening act where you sing some of the most mind-numbing songs (and "songs" is really a stretch since a better description would be "singing a chorus 10 to 12 times with a bridge tossed in if you're lucky"), craft time, bible story time, snack, craft, a section of a poorly produced 5-part movie (since something needs to keep these kids attention while they wait for Google+ to emerge from beta testing), and Rowdy Wrap-up, which is the same songs sung yet again. Needless to say, I woke up all week singing these choruses to the point where I was excited when Anne Murray's "Shadows in the Moonlight" was in my head Saturday morning.
This year's theme was Pandamania, which has about as much Biblical relevance as ice skating or a 3-foot tall, talking chipmunk, but we'll get to that later. I'm thinking the theme was dreamed up during the winter with an eye on the opening of Kung Fu Panda 2 Memorial Day weekend, fully expecting that Jack Black's form of crude humor would dominate the summer. Alas, that was not to be and we were left with a weird Asain theme and a play off the word pandemonium.
The curriculum connects a Bible story for each day, some of which work extremely well, like the stomach of a whale which was constructed out of large, black plastic sheets and inflated with two box fans. Others, missed the mark like the game Shark Attack the pre-K kids played where each child placed their legs under a parachute while a "shark" arbitrarily pulled the unsuspecting participants under. Within about 15 seconds the kids realized that they didn't want their legs anywhere under the parachute. Somehow that was supposed to teach us about Hannah. The closest I could come was perhaps the shark represented the temple priest who accused Hannah of being drunk. I wonder if drunk praying was the Biblical times version of drunk texting and the Levitical priests got tired of God honoring the incoherent prayers of the drunken yeshiva kids who came to the temple late at night. Anyway, we ended up playing Simon Says and Red Light, Green Light so I'm not sure the lesson landed.
Another staple of VBS is letting the kids all yell some phrase any time point of the day is spoken which is oddly similar to the word of the day on Pee-Wee's Playhouse with mobs of kids all screaming because everyone else is. I like to make a game out of this by finding the times when the daily phrase, such as "God watches over us" is said in mid-sentence when they aren't looking for the typical response. Especially humorous is interjecting a boisterous "Thank you, God!" during dialog in the 5-part movie which stars a 3-foot tall chipmunk named Chadder. SPOILER ALERT: The Pandamania version of Chadder's mystery series takes him to a panda preserve where all the pandas go missing and while helping he ends up getting spray painted white and placing his paws in black paint before wiping his eyes with said painted paws. The inspector loses his glasses and thinks Chadder is a talking panda until Chadder gets cleaned up and tells the truth. The culprit is the pink-clad daughter who can't stand pandas so much that she hides them in her room where we get to see the 5 worst CGI pandas in the history of moving pictures. They'd have been better off photoshopping in five pandas from a zoo. Just dreadful.
The highlights of the week were the unpredictable answers which the pre-K kids gave to serious questions asked by station leaders. On the first day, during Chadder's Theater with the day's theme being creation, my Micah was asked what his favorite animal was. His answer? Racecar. And why not?!? You think a cheetah's fast? See what 750 ponies under the hood can do! Later in the week, when asked during Bible Adventures what he wanted to be when he grew up, Micah emphatically answered, "Car." There's a kid who won't put God in a box!
Anyway, the week ended without any major incidents and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves, so I think it was a success. And I was able to escape the repetitive choruses which haunted my subconscious last week. That is, until yesterday's morning service where they invited the kids forward to sing a few of their tunes and thus I woke up this morning with those same refrains echoing through my brain. Time to turn on Pandora and hope for the best...
--30 -- (COPYRIGHT 2011 BY PETER MCCLAIN)
Thanks for sharing, Pete. Don't keep us waiting so long for your next column.
ON ALFRED POND: VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL ROCKS!
By Peter McClain
Vacation Bible School (VBS) invaded Alfred Pond last week and yours truly was involved. I'd been able to hide behind Micah these past three years when volunteers were requested since we didn't want to stick him in the nursery for 3 hours every night for a week and being the dutiful dad I stayed home with him. Unfortunately, kids grow up (no matter how well you've malnourished them) and thus Micah was old enough to attend his first VBS. So, I volunteered to accompany a pre-K group through the nightly activities, which made me the only male crew leader of the youngest set. That, of course, made me a magnet for the most hyperactive boys searching for a father figure.
A night of VBS consists of an opening act where you sing some of the most mind-numbing songs (and "songs" is really a stretch since a better description would be "singing a chorus 10 to 12 times with a bridge tossed in if you're lucky"), craft time, bible story time, snack, craft, a section of a poorly produced 5-part movie (since something needs to keep these kids attention while they wait for Google+ to emerge from beta testing), and Rowdy Wrap-up, which is the same songs sung yet again. Needless to say, I woke up all week singing these choruses to the point where I was excited when Anne Murray's "Shadows in the Moonlight" was in my head Saturday morning.
This year's theme was Pandamania, which has about as much Biblical relevance as ice skating or a 3-foot tall, talking chipmunk, but we'll get to that later. I'm thinking the theme was dreamed up during the winter with an eye on the opening of Kung Fu Panda 2 Memorial Day weekend, fully expecting that Jack Black's form of crude humor would dominate the summer. Alas, that was not to be and we were left with a weird Asain theme and a play off the word pandemonium.
The curriculum connects a Bible story for each day, some of which work extremely well, like the stomach of a whale which was constructed out of large, black plastic sheets and inflated with two box fans. Others, missed the mark like the game Shark Attack the pre-K kids played where each child placed their legs under a parachute while a "shark" arbitrarily pulled the unsuspecting participants under. Within about 15 seconds the kids realized that they didn't want their legs anywhere under the parachute. Somehow that was supposed to teach us about Hannah. The closest I could come was perhaps the shark represented the temple priest who accused Hannah of being drunk. I wonder if drunk praying was the Biblical times version of drunk texting and the Levitical priests got tired of God honoring the incoherent prayers of the drunken yeshiva kids who came to the temple late at night. Anyway, we ended up playing Simon Says and Red Light, Green Light so I'm not sure the lesson landed.
Another staple of VBS is letting the kids all yell some phrase any time point of the day is spoken which is oddly similar to the word of the day on Pee-Wee's Playhouse with mobs of kids all screaming because everyone else is. I like to make a game out of this by finding the times when the daily phrase, such as "God watches over us" is said in mid-sentence when they aren't looking for the typical response. Especially humorous is interjecting a boisterous "Thank you, God!" during dialog in the 5-part movie which stars a 3-foot tall chipmunk named Chadder. SPOILER ALERT: The Pandamania version of Chadder's mystery series takes him to a panda preserve where all the pandas go missing and while helping he ends up getting spray painted white and placing his paws in black paint before wiping his eyes with said painted paws. The inspector loses his glasses and thinks Chadder is a talking panda until Chadder gets cleaned up and tells the truth. The culprit is the pink-clad daughter who can't stand pandas so much that she hides them in her room where we get to see the 5 worst CGI pandas in the history of moving pictures. They'd have been better off photoshopping in five pandas from a zoo. Just dreadful.
The highlights of the week were the unpredictable answers which the pre-K kids gave to serious questions asked by station leaders. On the first day, during Chadder's Theater with the day's theme being creation, my Micah was asked what his favorite animal was. His answer? Racecar. And why not?!? You think a cheetah's fast? See what 750 ponies under the hood can do! Later in the week, when asked during Bible Adventures what he wanted to be when he grew up, Micah emphatically answered, "Car." There's a kid who won't put God in a box!
Anyway, the week ended without any major incidents and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves, so I think it was a success. And I was able to escape the repetitive choruses which haunted my subconscious last week. That is, until yesterday's morning service where they invited the kids forward to sing a few of their tunes and thus I woke up this morning with those same refrains echoing through my brain. Time to turn on Pandora and hope for the best...
--30 -- (COPYRIGHT 2011 BY PETER MCCLAIN)
Thanks for sharing, Pete. Don't keep us waiting so long for your next column.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Best Movies Of The Year -- The Master List
After much prodding from Pete, who felt I SHOULD have a list of my favorite movies from every year and if I did have a list I could put it on Netflix, here is my rundown of the best movies of the year. For every year. For people who always ask "What are your favorite movies," here's the answer. Yes, I know you can argue about which year certain movies belong to (especially films from other countries), but the point is not to make an historical record but just to list some great movies you might want to check out. I start with my top pick from each year as a sort of uber list. No, it's not "the most important movies" period, just the movie that meant the most to me from each year. Some years the choice was easy, other times a few battled it out or I didn't feel strongly enough about one particular film to make a statement. But you could do worse as a film buff than making sure you see all of them.
BEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME (MY #1 PICK FROM EACH YEAR 1924 -- PRESENT)
The Kid With A Bike (2012, pending of course)
The Tree Of Life (2011)
A Prophet (2010)
(500) Days Of Summer (2009)
The Class (2008)
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
The Best Of Youth (2005)
The Incredibles (2004)
To Be and To Have (2003)
Y Tu Mamá También (2002)
In the Mood for Love (2001)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Topsy-Turvy (1999)
Rushmore (1998)
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Breaking the Waves (1996)
Babe (1995)
Quiz Show (1994)
The Long Day Closes (1993)
Raise the Red Lantern (1992)
The Double Life Of Veronique (1991)
GoodFellas (1990)
sex, lies and videotape (1989)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)
Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987)
A Room With A View (1986)
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance (1983)
Blade Runner (1982)
Arthur (1981)
Raging Bull (1980)
Being There (1979)
Days Of Heaven (1978)
Star Wars (1977)
All the President's Men (1976)
Nashville (1975)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
The Sting (1973)
The Godfather (1972)
The Last Picture Show (1971)
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music (1970)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
The Sound Of Music (1965)
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
8 1/2 (1963)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Hustler (1961)
Jazz On A Summer’s Day (1960)
Wild Strawberries (1959)
Touch Of Evil (1958)
The Cranes Are Flying (1957)
The Searchers (1956)
Pather Panchali (1955)
Seven Samurai (1954)
The Naked Spur (1953)
The Quiet Man (1952)
Ace In The Hole aka The Big Carnival (1951)
All About Eve (1950)
The Third Man (1949)
Red River (1948)
Out Of The Past (1947)
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
Children Of Paradise (1945)
The Miracle Of Morgan’s Creek (1944)
Casablanca (1943)
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
Citizen Kane (1941)
The Philadelphia Story/The Shop Around The Corner (tie) (1940)
The Rules Of The Game (1939)
The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938)
Pepe Le Moko (1937)
My Man Godfrey (1936)
Top Hat (1935)
The Thin Man (1934)
Duck Soup (1933)
Trouble In Paradise (1932)
M (1931)
The Last Command (1930)
Pandora's Box (1929)
Sadie Thompson (1928)
Sunrise (1927)
The General (1926)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Greed (1924)
2012 (work-in-progress, of course)
The Kid With A Bike/La Gamin Du Velo
The Miners' Hymns
Footnote aka Hearat Shulayam
Attenberg
Michael (2011)
I Wish I Knew by Jia Zhangke
The Fairy
Chronicle
2011 (work-in-progress, of course)
The Tree of Life
A Separation
Cave Of Forgotten Dreams
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The Time That Remains
Project Nim
Meek's Cutoff
Take Shelter
Pina
Arthur Christmas
Tuesday, After Christmas
The Artist
Win Win
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
The Sleeping Beauty
The Black Power Mixtape
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Bombay Beach
Somos Lo Que Hay/We Are What We Are (cannibal film at Cannes)
La Nostra Vita
The Muppets
Kaboom
2010
A Prophet
Another Year
The Illusionist
Inside Job
Toy Story 3
Blue Valentine
Winter's Bone
I Killed My Mother
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Carlos (the long version)
Everyone Else
Alamar
Inception
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Samson and Delilah
Biutiful
Kick-Ass
Four Lions
Anton Chekhov's The Duel
The Tillman Story
The Social Network
2009
(500) Days Of Summer
Politist, Adjectiv
Up In The Air
Il Divo
Star Trek
Gomorrah
The Young Victoria
Inglourious Basterds
Lake Tahoe
Up
Treeless Mountain
Sin Nombre
Hunger
Where The Wild Things Are
The Informant!
A Serious Man
Duplicity
Extract
In A Dream
Somers Town
Rudi Y Cursi
You, The Living
It Might Get Loud
District 9
The Country Teacher
Goodbye Solo
The Most Dangerous Man In America
2008
Entre Les Murs/The Class
The Edge of Heaven
My Winnipeg
WALL-E
XXY
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Shotgun Stories
Let the Right One In
Ballast
Encounters at the End of the World
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Water Lilies
Azur and Asmar: The Princes' Quest
Last Chance Harvey
Happy-Go-Lucky
Frozen River
Kung Fu Panda
2007
The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Zodiac
The Other Side Of The Mirror: Bob Dylan At The Newport Folk Festival
Lars and the Real Girl
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
There Will Be Blood
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
L'iceberg
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Band’s Visit
Once
The Host
This Is England
Superbad
Control
The Bourne Ultimatum
2006
Pan's Labyrinth
Brick
Volver
Borat
Half Nelson
The Child
United 93
Time to Leave
Fateless
The Real Dirt On Farmer John
The Pursuit of Happyness
2005
The Best of Youth
Brokeback Mountain
Mysterious Skin
Good Night and Good Luck
The New World
The Squid and the Whale
Capote
Look at Me
The Constant Gardener
The Aristocrats
The Beat That My Heart Skipped
2046
A History of Violence
Howl's Moving Castle
Downfall
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The Warrior
Grizzly Man
Yes
Tony Takitani
2004
The Incredibles
Spider-Man 2
Vera Drake
Head-On
The Bourne Supremacy
The Woodsman
Friday Night Lights
House of Flying Daggers
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Kinsey
The Motorcycle Diaries
Million Dollar Baby
Mean Creek
Maria Full of Grace
The Sea Inside
Napoleon Dynamite
2003
To Be and To Have/Etre et Avoir
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King
The Son
Decasia: The State of Decay
Master and Commander: The Far Side Of The World
Capturing the Friedmans
The Fog of War
Spellbound
The Man Without a Past
The Barbarian Invasions
28 Days Later
Whale Rider
The Station Agent
The Triplets of Belleville
City of God
The Dancer Upstairs
A Mighty Wind
Sweet Sixteen
Seabiscuit
Yossi & Jagger
Dirty Pretty Things
Goodbye, Dragon Inn
Irreversible
2002
Y Tu Mamá También
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Piano Teacher
Sunshine State
The Fast Runner
All or Nothing
Spirited Away
Bloody Sunday
Punch-Drunk Love
The Bourne Identity
Far from Heaven
Devils on the Doorstep
Songs from the Second Floor
The Hours
The Son's Room
Russian Ark
Chicago
8 Women
Barbershop
What Time Is It There?
2001
In the Mood for Love
Werckmeister Harmonies
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Last Resort
Gosford Park
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Together
Amelie
Memento
The Royal Tenenbaums
Under the Sand
Monster's Ball
Fat Girl
Made
The Circle
2000
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Yi Yi
You Can Count on Me
Humanite
Wonder Boys
Devils On The Doorstep
Chuck & Buck
The Wind Will Carry Us
The Filth and the Fury: A Sex Pistols Film
Erin Brockovich
Not One Less
Almost Famous
High Fidelity
Treasure Island
Meet the Parents
Before Night Falls
Divided We Fall
Chunhyang
1999
Topsy-Turvy
Toy Story 2
Three Kings
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut
Rosetta
Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall Of Fred A. Leuchter Jr.
Boys Don't Cry
Office Space
The Winslow Boy
Tarzan
Limbo
All About My Mother
The Insider
Election
Eyes Wide Shut
The End of the Affair
Being John Malkovich
Mumford
October Sky
The Straight Story
Magnolia
The Thomas Crown Affair
1998
Rushmore
The Thin Red Line
Happiness
Babe: Pig in the City
Out of Sight
Velvet Goldmine
Elizabeth
Men with Guns
Shakespeare in Love
Your Friends & Neighbors
The Celebration
There's Something About Mary
Saving Private Ryan
Tango
Behind the Lines aka Regeneration
Gods and Monsters
The Truman Show
Run Lola Run
A Bug's Life
1997
L.A. Confidential
4 Little Girls
Boogie Nights
Crash
The Ice Storm
Taste of Cherry
Gattaca
Grosse Pointe Blank
The Apostle
My Best Friend's Wedding
Ulee's Gold
Mrs. Brown
George of the Jungle
Oscar & Lucinda
Tomorrow Never Dies
The Sweet Hereafter
Waiting for Guffman
In The Company Of Men
Jackie Brown
The Wings Of The Dove
Starship Troopers
1996
Breaking the Waves
Jerry Maguire
La Promesse
The Crucible
Hard Eight
Trainspotting
James and the Giant Peach
Big Night
Secrets & Lies
Lone Star
When We Were Kings
Fargo
Prisoner Of The Mountain
Bottle Rocket
Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Beautiful Thing
Citizen Ruth
That Thing You Do!
Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day
Bound
Paradise Lost: Child Murders at Robin Hood
Primal Fear
Angels & Insects
Bulletproof
1995
Babe
Toy Story
Persuasion
Flamenco
Crumb
Underground
Sense and Sensibility
Clueless
Devil in a Blue Dress
The Secret Of Roan Inish
Safe
Exotica
Dead Man Walking
A Little Princess
Apollo 13
Leaving Las Vegas
To Die For
The Usual Suspects
Welcome to the Dollhouse
Friday
Georgia
Shanghai Triad
Don Juan DeMarco
The Incredibly True Adventures Of Two Girls In Love
Showgirls
1994
Quiz Show
Red
London (Patrick Keiller film)
Hoop Dreams
The Last Seduction
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Eat Drink Man Woman
Little Women
32 Short Films About Glenn Gould
The Madness of King George
I Like It Like That
Ed Wood
Wild Reeds
Nobody's Fool
Little Odessa
Barcelona
Priest
Pulp Fiction
Speed
The Shawshank Redemption
Heavenly Creatures
Dumb and Dumber
What Happened Was…
Spanking The Monkey
Burnt by the Sun
1993
The Long Day Closes
Dazed and Confused
The Piano
Flesh and Bone
Groundhog Day
The Fugitive
The Nightmare Before Christmas
In the Name of the Father
Menace II Society
The Remains of the Day
Orlando
Blue
Rudy
Schindler's List
Sleepless in Seattle
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Fearless
Dave
King Of The Hill
The Age of Innocence
The Story of Qiu Ju
1992
Raise the Red Lantern
Howards End
Husbands and Wives
Hard Boiled
The Best Intentions
A Midnight Clear
Malcolm X
Aladdin
Unforgiven
Reservoir Dogs
Lorenzo's Oil
The Waterdance
The Crying Game
Leolo
The Player
Enchanted April
For a Lost Soldier
Housesitter
Edward II
A River Runs Through It
Swoon
1991
The Double Life Of Veronique
Beauty and the Beast
The Silence of the Lambs
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The Rapture
Bugsy
Barton Fink
Rambling Rose
Life Is Sweet
Thelma & Louise
Delicatessen
JFK
Mississippi Masala
Ju Dou
The Indian Runner
My Own Private Idaho
Poison
Point Break
Once a Thief
Days of Being Wild
L.A. Story
City of Hope
Toto Le Heros
Boyz N the Hood
The Man in the Moon
The Adjuster
The Hours and Times
White Fang
1990
GoodFellas
Miller's Crossing
The Grifters
Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
Metropolitan
Men Don’t Leave
The Match Factory Girl
Miami Blues
Dances With Wolves
Cyrano de Bergerac
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover
Mountains Of The Moon
Reversal of Fortune
Europa Europa
Joe Versus the Volcano
Dick Tracy
Q & A
Tremors
Vincent & Theo
Cry-Baby
Wild at Heart
The Hunt for Red October
Longtime Companion
The Freshman
Quick Change
1989
sex, lies and videotape
Do the Right Thing
Drugstore Cowboy
Born on the Fourth of July
The Fabulous Baker Boys
Crimes and Misdemeanors
For All Mankind
The Little Mermaid
Enemies, A Love Story
Say Anything
Field of Dreams
The War of the Roses
Apartment Zero
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Casualties of War
Dead Poets Society
Henry V
Heathers
My Left Foot
Parenthood
Scandal
1988
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown
Distant Voices, Still Lives
The Thin Blue Line
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Eight Men Out
Big
A Fish Called Wanda
Dangerous Liaisons
Bull Durham
Babette’s Feast
Hairspray
My Neighbor Totoro
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Biloxi Blues
Rain Man
Tucker: The Man and His Dream
A Cry in the Dark
Die Hard
High Hopes
The Last Temptation of Christ
U2: Rattle and Hum
Things Change
As Tears Go By
Matador
Bagdad Café
Let’s Get Lost
1987
Au Revoir Les Enfants
Wings of Desire
The Dead
Broadcast News
Empire of the Sun
Withnail & I
Full Metal Jacket
My Life as a Dog
Hope and Glory
River's Edge
Swimming To Cambodia
The Last Emperor
The Princess Bride
Sammy & Rosie Get Laid
Moonstruck
Dark Eyes
Roxanne
Prick Up Your Ears
Wall Street
Tin Men
Radio Days
Law Of Desire
Matewan
The Big Easy
Raising Arizona
Maurice
Housekeeping
House Of Games
Evil Dead II
Three O'Clock High
1986
A Room With A View
Hannah and Her Sisters
Blue Velvet
Aliens
Jean de Florette / Manon of the Spring
Platoon
Manhunter
The Mosquito Coast
The Fly
My Beautiful Laundrette
'Round Midnight
The Decline Of The American Empire
Hoosiers
Something Wild
Sid & Nancy
Ruthless People
Stand by Me
At Close Range
Caravaggio
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Highlander
The Hitcher
Mona Lisa
Peggy Sue Got Married
The Great Mouse Detective
Labyrinth
Children Of A Lesser God
Back to School
The Boy Who Could Fly
1985
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Ran
Brazil
Back to the Future
Another Country
Lost In America
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Trouble In Mind
The Breakfast Club
Witness
After Hours
Prizzi's Honor
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
The Sure Thing
The Trip to Bountiful
Silverado
Twice In A Lifetime
Runaway Train
1984
This Is Spinal Tap
Amadeus
Blood Simple
The Killing Fields
Ghostbusters
The Cotton Club
The Terminator
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai
Once Upon a Time in America
Broadway Danny Rose
All of Me
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
A Passage to India
Romancing the Stone
Purple Rain
Red Dawn
The Natural
Gremlins
Moscow on the Hudson
The Flamingo Kid
Birdy
The Times Of Harvey Milk
Bachelor Party
Places in the Heart
Repo Man
1983
Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance
The Right Stuff
Fanny and Alexander
Danton
Tender Mercies
Terms of Endearment
Risky Business
Zelig
The Big Chill
The King of Comedy
Never Cry Wolf
Educating Rita
Cross Creek
The Dead Zone
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Silkwood
WarGames
Yentl
Valley Girl
Local Hero
The Year Of Living Dangerously
A Christmas Story
1982
Blade Runner
Victor/Victoria
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Tootsie
Das Boot
The Road Warrior
Sophie's Choice
Honkytonk Man
My Favorite Year
An Officer and a Gentleman
The Verdict
Diner
The World According to Garp
Best Friends
Tex
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
The Return of Martin Guerre
48 Hours
Poltergeist
Tron
1981
Arthur
Gallipoli
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Chariots of Fire
My Dinner with Andre
Vernon, Florida
Modern Romance
Atlantic City
Body Heat
The Four Seasons
On Golden Pond
Pennies from Heaven
Prince of the City
Reds
Time Bandits
Superman II
Stripes
Taps
1980
Raging Bull
The Empire Strikes Back
Ordinary People
Airplane!
Kagemusha
Melvin and Howard
The Shining
Mad Max
My Brilliant Career
The Long Riders
My Bodyguard
The Big Red One
Nine to Five
Fame
Hopscotch
1979
Being There
Breaking Away
Apocalypse Now
Alien
The Black Stallion
Manhattan
The Muppet Movie
Kramer vs. Kramer
Escape From Alcatraz
The Rose
Time After Time
The Warriors
A Little Romance
1978
Days of Heaven
The Last Waltz
Superman: The Movie
Gates Of Heaven
The Deer Hunter
National Lampoon's Animal House
Midnight Express
Grease
Halloween
1977
Star Wars
Annie Hall
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Stroszek
Saturday Night Fever
Slap Shot
1900
Smokey and the Bandit
That Obscure Object Of Desire
Killer Of Sheep
Oh God
1976
All the President's Men
Rocky
Taxi Driver
Network
The Bad News Bears
Assault on Precinct 13
The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Robin and Marian
Harlan County USA
1975
Nashville
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Man Who Would Be King
Dog Day Afternoon
Grey Gardens
Jaws
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Shampoo
Three Days of the Condor
The Four Musketeers
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Love and Death
The Return of The Pink Panther
Lucky Lady
Rooster Cogburn
Barry Lyndon
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
1974
Young Frankenstein
The Godfather: Part II
Lacombe Lucien
Chinatown
Ali: Fear Eats The Soul
The Three Musketeers
Amarcord
The Conversation
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
A Woman Under the Influence
Murder on the Orient Express
The Longest Yard
Hearts and Minds
The Sugarland Express
Day for Night
The Towering Inferno
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
1973
The Sting
Badlands
Paper Moon
The Last Detail
Scarecrow
Enter the Dragon
Cries and Whispers
Mean Streets
The Harder They Come
Live and Let Die
Papillon
American Graffiti
Last Tango in Paris
1972
The Godfather
Murmur Of The Heart
What's Up, Doc?
Cabaret
Aguirre: The Wrath of God
The Candidate
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Super Fly
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
Solaris
Junior Bonner
Sounder
Fat City
Travels With My Aunt
1971
The Last Picture Show
A Clockwork Orange
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
The Conformist
Harold and Maude
The French Connection
Carnal Knowledge
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
Shaft
The Panic in Needle Park
Gimme Shelter
Dirty Harry
Death in Venice
Billy Jack
Walkabout
Fiddler On The Roof
Duel
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
1970
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music
MASH
Patton
Hospital
Airport / Airport 1975
The Out-of-Towners
Tora! Tora! Tora!
1969
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Wild Bunch
Midnight Cowboy
Monterey Pop
Once Upon a Time in the West
Take the Money and Run
The Italian Job
True Grit
Salesman
Army of Shadows
The Sorrow and the Pity
1968
2001: A Space Odyssey
Yellow Submarine
Romeo & Juliet
The Lion in Winter
Rosemary's Baby
Oliver!
Funny Girl
Planet of the Apes
The Producers
High School
If...
The Odd Couple
The Young Girls Of Rochefort
Night of the Living Dead
1967
Bonnie and Clyde
Don’t Look Back
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Le Samourai
Cool Hand Luke
The Battle of Algiers
In Cold Blood
The Graduate
The Jungle Book
Playtime
You Only Live Twice
1966
Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
Tokyo Drifter
Alfie
A Man For All Seasons
Young Torless
A Big Hand For The Little Lady
Fantastic Voyage
1965
The Sound Of Music
The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
Von Ryan’s Express
The Cincinnati Kid
Thunderball
For A Few Dollars More
1964
A Hard Day’s Night
Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
Mary Poppins
A Shot In The Dark
Pale Flower
Goldfinger
Three Outlaw Samurai
Fail-Safe
Becket
The Pink Panther
Viva Las Vegas
Zulu
Godzilla Vs Mothra
A Fistful of Dollars
1963
8 ½
High and Low
The Great Escape
Charade
This Sporting Life
The Nutty Professor
From Russia With Love
The Birds
Shock Corridor
Jason and the Argonauts
1962
Lawrence Of Arabia
The Manchurian Candidate
Lolita
The Trial Of Joan of Arc
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Cape Fear
The Longest Day
Ride The High Country
Dr. No
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Birdman Of Alcatraz
To Kill A Mockingbird
Jules and Jim
Last Year At Marienbad
1961
The Hustler
West Side Story
Yojimbo
The Guns Of Navarone
The Devil At Four O’Clock
1960
Jazz On A Summer’s Day
The Apartment
Psycho
La Dolce Vita
Rocco and His Brothers
The Magnificent Seven
The Entertainer
When A Woman Ascends The Stairs
The World Of Apu
Elmer Gantry
Inherit The Wind
Spartacus
Peeping Tom
The Alamo
Swiss Family Robinson
The Time Machine
1959
Wild Strawberries
The 400 Blows
North By Northwest
Breathless
Anatomy Of A Murder
Pork Chop Hill
Pickpocket
Ben-Hur
Some Like It Hot
Flame Over India
The FBI Story
The Mouse That Roared
On The Beach
Last Train From Gun Hill
Pillow Talk
Rio Bravo
Hiroshima, Mon Amour
1958
Touch Of Evil
Vertigo
The Hidden Fortress
A Night To Remember
The Horse's Mouth
Ashes and Diamonds
Big Deal On Madonna Street
Auntie Mame
The Big Country
Mon Oncle
The Fly
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad
1957
The Cranes Are Flying
What's Opera, Doc? (short)
Sweet Smell Of Success
3:10 To Yuma
The Seventh Seal
The Bridge On The River Kwai
Nights Of Cabiria
12 Angry Men
The Tall T
Old Yeller
Gunfight At The OK Corral
The Spirit Of St. Louis
A Face In The Crowd
Throne Of Blood
Fear Strikes Out
On The Bowery
1956
The Searchers
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
The Red Balloon
A Man Escaped
The King and I
Aparajito
Forbidden Planet
The Ten Commandments
The Silent World
All That Heaven Allows
Samurai III: Duel At Ganryu Island
Seven Men From Now
Written On The Wind
Anastasia
1955
Pather Panchali
The Night Of The Hunter
Mister Roberts
Rififi
Smiles Of A Summer Night
Rebel Without A Cause
Lady and the Tramp
The Ladykillers
The Far Country
Samurai II: Duel At Ichijoji Temple
The Man With The Golden Arm
The Violent Men
1954
Seven Samurai
Rear Window
On The Waterfront
A Star Is Born
Hobson’s Choice
Godzilla, King Of The Monsters! aka Gojira
The Belles Of St. Trinian’s
The Caine Mutiny
The High and the Mighty
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto
Sansho The Bailiff
Rouge Et Noir
1953
The Naked Spur
The Earrings Of Madame De…
Mr. Hulot’s Holiday
Ugetsu
Stalag 17
The Big Heat
Pickup On South Street
The Little Fugitive
From Here To Eternity
How To Marry A Millionaire
The Cruel Sea
House Of Wax
The Wages Of Fear
1952
The Quiet Man
Umberto D.
Bend Of The River
The Bad and the Beautiful
Ikiru
Forbidden Games
Othello
The Narrow Margin
Pat and Mike
1951
Ace In The Hole aka The Big Carnival
A Place In The Sun
The Lavender Hill Mob
A Streetcar Named Desire
The African Queen
A Christmas Carol aka Scrooge
The Thing
Detective Story
The Day The Earth Stood Still
Strangers On A Train
Diary Of A Country Priest
The River
The Man In The White Suit
The Lemon Drop Kid
1950
All About Eve
Winchester ‘73
Sunset Boulevard
Rashomon
The Furies
Father Of The Bride
Night and the City
The Gunfighter
Treasure Island
Born Yesterday
Harvey
Cheaper By The Dozen
Broken Arrow
D.O.A.
1949
The Third Man
Adam’s Rib
The Heiress
On The Town
Kind Hearts and Coronets
The Fallen Idol
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon
White Heat
Passport To Pimlico
They Live By Night
12 O’Clock High
The Window
A Letter To Three Wives
Border Incident
Gun Crazy
Chains
It Happens Every Spring
1948
Red River
Bicycle Thieves
Letter From An Unknown Woman
The Naked City
Fort Apache
State Of The Union
Oliver Twist
I Remember Mama
Call Northside 777
The Paleface
Joan Of Arc
Sitting Pretty
The Winslow Boy
Key Largo
Macbeth
The Lady From Shanghai
The Treasure Of Sierra Madre
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
The Snake Pit
1947
Out Of The Past
Odd Man Out
They Made Me A Fugitive
The Ghost And Mrs. Muir
Brute Force
T-Men
Road To Rio
Life With Father
Black Narcissus
Miracle On 34th St.
Nightmare Alley
The Egg And I
1946
It’s A Wonderful Life
Notorious
Great Expectations
A Matter Of Life and Death aka Stairway To Heaven
La Belle Et La Bete
Ivan The Terrible Part II
The Big Sleep
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Best Years Of Our Lives
The Yearling
My Darling Clementine
The Killers
The Harvey Girls
Road To Utopia
1945
Children Of Paradise
Rome, Open City
I Know Where I'm Going!
The Bells Of St. Marys
Fallen Angel
National Velvet
Mildred Pierce
Anchors Aweigh
The House On 92nd St.
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
Detour
They Were Expendable
The Story Of G.I. Joe
1944
The Miracle Of Morgan’s Creek
To Have And Have Not
Double Indemnity
Hail The Conquering Hero
Going My Way
Murder, My Sweet
Laura
Meet Me In St. Louis
Arsenic and Old Lace
Passage To Marseille
The Children Are Watching Us
1943
Casablanca
Ivan The Terrible Part I
The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp
Shadow Of A Doubt
The Ox-Bow Incident
The Human Comedy
Lassie Come Home
Five Graves To Cairo
A Guy Named Joe
I Walked With A Zombie
Millions Like Us
The Song Of Bernadette
1942
The Magnificent Ambersons
Bambi
The Palm Beach Story
Mrs. Miniver
Woman Of The Year
In Which We Serve
Cat People
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Road To Morocco
The Glass Key
The Pride Of The Yankees
Saboteur
For Me And My Gal
1941
Citizen Kane
Meet John Doe
The Lady Eve
The Maltese Falcon
How Green Was My Valley
The Little Foxes
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Sergeant York
Never Give A Sucker An Even Break
1940
The Philadelphia Story/The Shop Around The Corner (tie)
His Girl Friday
Pinocchio
The Bank Dick
The Grapes Of Wrath
Rebecca
Boom Town
Night Train To Munich
The Sea Hawk
Fantasia
My Favorite Wife
Christmas In July
The Thief Of Baghdad
They Drive By Night
1939
Rules of The Game
Stagecoach
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
The Women
Gunga Din
Midnight
The Wizard Of Oz
Ninotchka
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
Alexander Nevsky
The Stars Look Down
The Hound Of The Baskervilles
The Little Princess
Gone With The Wind
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes
Love Affair
Of Mice and Men
The Roaring Twenties
Wuthering Heights
Only Angels Have Wings
Drums Along The Mohawk
Young Mr. Lincoln
Goodbye Mr. Chips
1938
The Adventures Of Robin Hood
The Lady Vanishes
Olympia
Angels With Dirty Faces
Holiday
Test Pilot
Boys Town
Bringing Up Baby
1937
Pepe Le Moko
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The Awful Truth
A Day At The Races
Captains Courageous
Dead End
Topper
A Star Is Born
The Prisoner Of Zenda
Shall We Dance
1936
My Man Godfrey
Swing Time
Dodsworth
Fury
Libeled Lady
Secret Agent
A Tale Of Two Cities
Modern Times
Follow The Fleet
1935
Top Hat
A Night At The Opera
The Bride Of Frankenstein
The 39 Steps
Captain Blood
Lives Of A Bengal Lancer
Alice Adams
Mutiny On The Bounty
David Copperfield
The Informer
Triumph Of The Will
1934
The Thin Man
L’Atalante
It Happened One Night
It’s A Gift
Tarzan And His Mate
The Gay Divorcee
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Twentieth Century
Treasure Island
The Count Of Monte Cristo
Gambling Lady
1933
Duck Soup
King Kong
I’m No Angel
The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse
Bed of Roses
Little Women
Bombshell
The Invisible Man
42nd Street
Wild Boys Of The Road
1932
Trouble In Paradise
Scarface
Horse Feathers
I Was Born, But...
Grand Hotel
Tarzan The Ape Man
Jewel Robbery
1931
M
Monkey Business
City Lights
Frankenstein
Public Enemy
The Front Page
Little Caesar
Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde
The Champ
1930
The Last Command
The Circus
Animal Crackers
1929
Man With A Movie Camera
Pandora’s Box
In Old Arizona
1928
The Crowd
Sadie Thompson
The Wind
1927
Sunrise
Metropolis
Underworld
Wings
The Beloved Rogue
1926
The General
The Adventures Of Prince Achmed
Beau Geste
1925
Battleship Potemkin
The Gold Rush
The Freshman
1924
Greed
Sherlock Jr.
The Navigator
BEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME (MY #1 PICK FROM EACH YEAR 1924 -- PRESENT)
The Kid With A Bike (2012, pending of course)
The Tree Of Life (2011)
A Prophet (2010)
(500) Days Of Summer (2009)
The Class (2008)
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
The Best Of Youth (2005)
The Incredibles (2004)
To Be and To Have (2003)
Y Tu Mamá También (2002)
In the Mood for Love (2001)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Topsy-Turvy (1999)
Rushmore (1998)
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Breaking the Waves (1996)
Babe (1995)
Quiz Show (1994)
The Long Day Closes (1993)
Raise the Red Lantern (1992)
The Double Life Of Veronique (1991)
GoodFellas (1990)
sex, lies and videotape (1989)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)
Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987)
A Room With A View (1986)
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance (1983)
Blade Runner (1982)
Arthur (1981)
Raging Bull (1980)
Being There (1979)
Days Of Heaven (1978)
Star Wars (1977)
All the President's Men (1976)
Nashville (1975)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
The Sting (1973)
The Godfather (1972)
The Last Picture Show (1971)
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music (1970)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
The Sound Of Music (1965)
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
8 1/2 (1963)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Hustler (1961)
Jazz On A Summer’s Day (1960)
Wild Strawberries (1959)
Touch Of Evil (1958)
The Cranes Are Flying (1957)
The Searchers (1956)
Pather Panchali (1955)
Seven Samurai (1954)
The Naked Spur (1953)
The Quiet Man (1952)
Ace In The Hole aka The Big Carnival (1951)
All About Eve (1950)
The Third Man (1949)
Red River (1948)
Out Of The Past (1947)
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
Children Of Paradise (1945)
The Miracle Of Morgan’s Creek (1944)
Casablanca (1943)
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
Citizen Kane (1941)
The Philadelphia Story/The Shop Around The Corner (tie) (1940)
The Rules Of The Game (1939)
The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938)
Pepe Le Moko (1937)
My Man Godfrey (1936)
Top Hat (1935)
The Thin Man (1934)
Duck Soup (1933)
Trouble In Paradise (1932)
M (1931)
The Last Command (1930)
Pandora's Box (1929)
Sadie Thompson (1928)
Sunrise (1927)
The General (1926)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Greed (1924)
2012 (work-in-progress, of course)
The Kid With A Bike/La Gamin Du Velo
The Miners' Hymns
Footnote aka Hearat Shulayam
Attenberg
Michael (2011)
I Wish I Knew by Jia Zhangke
The Fairy
Chronicle
2011 (work-in-progress, of course)
The Tree of Life
A Separation
Cave Of Forgotten Dreams
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The Time That Remains
Project Nim
Meek's Cutoff
Take Shelter
Pina
Arthur Christmas
Tuesday, After Christmas
The Artist
Win Win
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
The Sleeping Beauty
The Black Power Mixtape
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Bombay Beach
Somos Lo Que Hay/We Are What We Are (cannibal film at Cannes)
La Nostra Vita
The Muppets
Kaboom
2010
A Prophet
Another Year
The Illusionist
Inside Job
Toy Story 3
Blue Valentine
Winter's Bone
I Killed My Mother
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Carlos (the long version)
Everyone Else
Alamar
Inception
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Samson and Delilah
Biutiful
Kick-Ass
Four Lions
Anton Chekhov's The Duel
The Tillman Story
The Social Network
2009
(500) Days Of Summer
Politist, Adjectiv
Up In The Air
Il Divo
Star Trek
Gomorrah
The Young Victoria
Inglourious Basterds
Lake Tahoe
Up
Treeless Mountain
Sin Nombre
Hunger
Where The Wild Things Are
The Informant!
A Serious Man
Duplicity
Extract
In A Dream
Somers Town
Rudi Y Cursi
You, The Living
It Might Get Loud
District 9
The Country Teacher
Goodbye Solo
The Most Dangerous Man In America
2008
Entre Les Murs/The Class
The Edge of Heaven
My Winnipeg
WALL-E
XXY
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Shotgun Stories
Let the Right One In
Ballast
Encounters at the End of the World
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Water Lilies
Azur and Asmar: The Princes' Quest
Last Chance Harvey
Happy-Go-Lucky
Frozen River
Kung Fu Panda
2007
The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Zodiac
The Other Side Of The Mirror: Bob Dylan At The Newport Folk Festival
Lars and the Real Girl
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
There Will Be Blood
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
L'iceberg
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Band’s Visit
Once
The Host
This Is England
Superbad
Control
The Bourne Ultimatum
2006
Pan's Labyrinth
Brick
Volver
Borat
Half Nelson
The Child
United 93
Time to Leave
Fateless
The Real Dirt On Farmer John
The Pursuit of Happyness
2005
The Best of Youth
Brokeback Mountain
Mysterious Skin
Good Night and Good Luck
The New World
The Squid and the Whale
Capote
Look at Me
The Constant Gardener
The Aristocrats
The Beat That My Heart Skipped
2046
A History of Violence
Howl's Moving Castle
Downfall
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The Warrior
Grizzly Man
Yes
Tony Takitani
2004
The Incredibles
Spider-Man 2
Vera Drake
Head-On
The Bourne Supremacy
The Woodsman
Friday Night Lights
House of Flying Daggers
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Kinsey
The Motorcycle Diaries
Million Dollar Baby
Mean Creek
Maria Full of Grace
The Sea Inside
Napoleon Dynamite
2003
To Be and To Have/Etre et Avoir
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King
The Son
Decasia: The State of Decay
Master and Commander: The Far Side Of The World
Capturing the Friedmans
The Fog of War
Spellbound
The Man Without a Past
The Barbarian Invasions
28 Days Later
Whale Rider
The Station Agent
The Triplets of Belleville
City of God
The Dancer Upstairs
A Mighty Wind
Sweet Sixteen
Seabiscuit
Yossi & Jagger
Dirty Pretty Things
Goodbye, Dragon Inn
Irreversible
2002
Y Tu Mamá También
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Piano Teacher
Sunshine State
The Fast Runner
All or Nothing
Spirited Away
Bloody Sunday
Punch-Drunk Love
The Bourne Identity
Far from Heaven
Devils on the Doorstep
Songs from the Second Floor
The Hours
The Son's Room
Russian Ark
Chicago
8 Women
Barbershop
What Time Is It There?
2001
In the Mood for Love
Werckmeister Harmonies
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Last Resort
Gosford Park
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Together
Amelie
Memento
The Royal Tenenbaums
Under the Sand
Monster's Ball
Fat Girl
Made
The Circle
2000
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Yi Yi
You Can Count on Me
Humanite
Wonder Boys
Devils On The Doorstep
Chuck & Buck
The Wind Will Carry Us
The Filth and the Fury: A Sex Pistols Film
Erin Brockovich
Not One Less
Almost Famous
High Fidelity
Treasure Island
Meet the Parents
Before Night Falls
Divided We Fall
Chunhyang
1999
Topsy-Turvy
Toy Story 2
Three Kings
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut
Rosetta
Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall Of Fred A. Leuchter Jr.
Boys Don't Cry
Office Space
The Winslow Boy
Tarzan
Limbo
All About My Mother
The Insider
Election
Eyes Wide Shut
The End of the Affair
Being John Malkovich
Mumford
October Sky
The Straight Story
Magnolia
The Thomas Crown Affair
1998
Rushmore
The Thin Red Line
Happiness
Babe: Pig in the City
Out of Sight
Velvet Goldmine
Elizabeth
Men with Guns
Shakespeare in Love
Your Friends & Neighbors
The Celebration
There's Something About Mary
Saving Private Ryan
Tango
Behind the Lines aka Regeneration
Gods and Monsters
The Truman Show
Run Lola Run
A Bug's Life
1997
L.A. Confidential
4 Little Girls
Boogie Nights
Crash
The Ice Storm
Taste of Cherry
Gattaca
Grosse Pointe Blank
The Apostle
My Best Friend's Wedding
Ulee's Gold
Mrs. Brown
George of the Jungle
Oscar & Lucinda
Tomorrow Never Dies
The Sweet Hereafter
Waiting for Guffman
In The Company Of Men
Jackie Brown
The Wings Of The Dove
Starship Troopers
1996
Breaking the Waves
Jerry Maguire
La Promesse
The Crucible
Hard Eight
Trainspotting
James and the Giant Peach
Big Night
Secrets & Lies
Lone Star
When We Were Kings
Fargo
Prisoner Of The Mountain
Bottle Rocket
Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Beautiful Thing
Citizen Ruth
That Thing You Do!
Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day
Bound
Paradise Lost: Child Murders at Robin Hood
Primal Fear
Angels & Insects
Bulletproof
1995
Babe
Toy Story
Persuasion
Flamenco
Crumb
Underground
Sense and Sensibility
Clueless
Devil in a Blue Dress
The Secret Of Roan Inish
Safe
Exotica
Dead Man Walking
A Little Princess
Apollo 13
Leaving Las Vegas
To Die For
The Usual Suspects
Welcome to the Dollhouse
Friday
Georgia
Shanghai Triad
Don Juan DeMarco
The Incredibly True Adventures Of Two Girls In Love
Showgirls
1994
Quiz Show
Red
London (Patrick Keiller film)
Hoop Dreams
The Last Seduction
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Eat Drink Man Woman
Little Women
32 Short Films About Glenn Gould
The Madness of King George
I Like It Like That
Ed Wood
Wild Reeds
Nobody's Fool
Little Odessa
Barcelona
Priest
Pulp Fiction
Speed
The Shawshank Redemption
Heavenly Creatures
Dumb and Dumber
What Happened Was…
Spanking The Monkey
Burnt by the Sun
1993
The Long Day Closes
Dazed and Confused
The Piano
Flesh and Bone
Groundhog Day
The Fugitive
The Nightmare Before Christmas
In the Name of the Father
Menace II Society
The Remains of the Day
Orlando
Blue
Rudy
Schindler's List
Sleepless in Seattle
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Fearless
Dave
King Of The Hill
The Age of Innocence
The Story of Qiu Ju
1992
Raise the Red Lantern
Howards End
Husbands and Wives
Hard Boiled
The Best Intentions
A Midnight Clear
Malcolm X
Aladdin
Unforgiven
Reservoir Dogs
Lorenzo's Oil
The Waterdance
The Crying Game
Leolo
The Player
Enchanted April
For a Lost Soldier
Housesitter
Edward II
A River Runs Through It
Swoon
1991
The Double Life Of Veronique
Beauty and the Beast
The Silence of the Lambs
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The Rapture
Bugsy
Barton Fink
Rambling Rose
Life Is Sweet
Thelma & Louise
Delicatessen
JFK
Mississippi Masala
Ju Dou
The Indian Runner
My Own Private Idaho
Poison
Point Break
Once a Thief
Days of Being Wild
L.A. Story
City of Hope
Toto Le Heros
Boyz N the Hood
The Man in the Moon
The Adjuster
The Hours and Times
White Fang
1990
GoodFellas
Miller's Crossing
The Grifters
Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
Metropolitan
Men Don’t Leave
The Match Factory Girl
Miami Blues
Dances With Wolves
Cyrano de Bergerac
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover
Mountains Of The Moon
Reversal of Fortune
Europa Europa
Joe Versus the Volcano
Dick Tracy
Q & A
Tremors
Vincent & Theo
Cry-Baby
Wild at Heart
The Hunt for Red October
Longtime Companion
The Freshman
Quick Change
1989
sex, lies and videotape
Do the Right Thing
Drugstore Cowboy
Born on the Fourth of July
The Fabulous Baker Boys
Crimes and Misdemeanors
For All Mankind
The Little Mermaid
Enemies, A Love Story
Say Anything
Field of Dreams
The War of the Roses
Apartment Zero
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Casualties of War
Dead Poets Society
Henry V
Heathers
My Left Foot
Parenthood
Scandal
1988
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown
Distant Voices, Still Lives
The Thin Blue Line
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Eight Men Out
Big
A Fish Called Wanda
Dangerous Liaisons
Bull Durham
Babette’s Feast
Hairspray
My Neighbor Totoro
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Biloxi Blues
Rain Man
Tucker: The Man and His Dream
A Cry in the Dark
Die Hard
High Hopes
The Last Temptation of Christ
U2: Rattle and Hum
Things Change
As Tears Go By
Matador
Bagdad Café
Let’s Get Lost
1987
Au Revoir Les Enfants
Wings of Desire
The Dead
Broadcast News
Empire of the Sun
Withnail & I
Full Metal Jacket
My Life as a Dog
Hope and Glory
River's Edge
Swimming To Cambodia
The Last Emperor
The Princess Bride
Sammy & Rosie Get Laid
Moonstruck
Dark Eyes
Roxanne
Prick Up Your Ears
Wall Street
Tin Men
Radio Days
Law Of Desire
Matewan
The Big Easy
Raising Arizona
Maurice
Housekeeping
House Of Games
Evil Dead II
Three O'Clock High
1986
A Room With A View
Hannah and Her Sisters
Blue Velvet
Aliens
Jean de Florette / Manon of the Spring
Platoon
Manhunter
The Mosquito Coast
The Fly
My Beautiful Laundrette
'Round Midnight
The Decline Of The American Empire
Hoosiers
Something Wild
Sid & Nancy
Ruthless People
Stand by Me
At Close Range
Caravaggio
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Highlander
The Hitcher
Mona Lisa
Peggy Sue Got Married
The Great Mouse Detective
Labyrinth
Children Of A Lesser God
Back to School
The Boy Who Could Fly
1985
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Ran
Brazil
Back to the Future
Another Country
Lost In America
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Trouble In Mind
The Breakfast Club
Witness
After Hours
Prizzi's Honor
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
The Sure Thing
The Trip to Bountiful
Silverado
Twice In A Lifetime
Runaway Train
1984
This Is Spinal Tap
Amadeus
Blood Simple
The Killing Fields
Ghostbusters
The Cotton Club
The Terminator
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai
Once Upon a Time in America
Broadway Danny Rose
All of Me
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
A Passage to India
Romancing the Stone
Purple Rain
Red Dawn
The Natural
Gremlins
Moscow on the Hudson
The Flamingo Kid
Birdy
The Times Of Harvey Milk
Bachelor Party
Places in the Heart
Repo Man
1983
Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance
The Right Stuff
Fanny and Alexander
Danton
Tender Mercies
Terms of Endearment
Risky Business
Zelig
The Big Chill
The King of Comedy
Never Cry Wolf
Educating Rita
Cross Creek
The Dead Zone
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Silkwood
WarGames
Yentl
Valley Girl
Local Hero
The Year Of Living Dangerously
A Christmas Story
1982
Blade Runner
Victor/Victoria
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Tootsie
Das Boot
The Road Warrior
Sophie's Choice
Honkytonk Man
My Favorite Year
An Officer and a Gentleman
The Verdict
Diner
The World According to Garp
Best Friends
Tex
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
The Return of Martin Guerre
48 Hours
Poltergeist
Tron
1981
Arthur
Gallipoli
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Chariots of Fire
My Dinner with Andre
Vernon, Florida
Modern Romance
Atlantic City
Body Heat
The Four Seasons
On Golden Pond
Pennies from Heaven
Prince of the City
Reds
Time Bandits
Superman II
Stripes
Taps
1980
Raging Bull
The Empire Strikes Back
Ordinary People
Airplane!
Kagemusha
Melvin and Howard
The Shining
Mad Max
My Brilliant Career
The Long Riders
My Bodyguard
The Big Red One
Nine to Five
Fame
Hopscotch
1979
Being There
Breaking Away
Apocalypse Now
Alien
The Black Stallion
Manhattan
The Muppet Movie
Kramer vs. Kramer
Escape From Alcatraz
The Rose
Time After Time
The Warriors
A Little Romance
1978
Days of Heaven
The Last Waltz
Superman: The Movie
Gates Of Heaven
The Deer Hunter
National Lampoon's Animal House
Midnight Express
Grease
Halloween
1977
Star Wars
Annie Hall
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Stroszek
Saturday Night Fever
Slap Shot
1900
Smokey and the Bandit
That Obscure Object Of Desire
Killer Of Sheep
Oh God
1976
All the President's Men
Rocky
Taxi Driver
Network
The Bad News Bears
Assault on Precinct 13
The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Robin and Marian
Harlan County USA
1975
Nashville
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Man Who Would Be King
Dog Day Afternoon
Grey Gardens
Jaws
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Shampoo
Three Days of the Condor
The Four Musketeers
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Love and Death
The Return of The Pink Panther
Lucky Lady
Rooster Cogburn
Barry Lyndon
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
1974
Young Frankenstein
The Godfather: Part II
Lacombe Lucien
Chinatown
Ali: Fear Eats The Soul
The Three Musketeers
Amarcord
The Conversation
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
A Woman Under the Influence
Murder on the Orient Express
The Longest Yard
Hearts and Minds
The Sugarland Express
Day for Night
The Towering Inferno
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
1973
The Sting
Badlands
Paper Moon
The Last Detail
Scarecrow
Enter the Dragon
Cries and Whispers
Mean Streets
The Harder They Come
Live and Let Die
Papillon
American Graffiti
Last Tango in Paris
1972
The Godfather
Murmur Of The Heart
What's Up, Doc?
Cabaret
Aguirre: The Wrath of God
The Candidate
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Super Fly
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
Solaris
Junior Bonner
Sounder
Fat City
Travels With My Aunt
1971
The Last Picture Show
A Clockwork Orange
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
The Conformist
Harold and Maude
The French Connection
Carnal Knowledge
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
Shaft
The Panic in Needle Park
Gimme Shelter
Dirty Harry
Death in Venice
Billy Jack
Walkabout
Fiddler On The Roof
Duel
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
1970
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music
MASH
Patton
Hospital
Airport / Airport 1975
The Out-of-Towners
Tora! Tora! Tora!
1969
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Wild Bunch
Midnight Cowboy
Monterey Pop
Once Upon a Time in the West
Take the Money and Run
The Italian Job
True Grit
Salesman
Army of Shadows
The Sorrow and the Pity
1968
2001: A Space Odyssey
Yellow Submarine
Romeo & Juliet
The Lion in Winter
Rosemary's Baby
Oliver!
Funny Girl
Planet of the Apes
The Producers
High School
If...
The Odd Couple
The Young Girls Of Rochefort
Night of the Living Dead
1967
Bonnie and Clyde
Don’t Look Back
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Le Samourai
Cool Hand Luke
The Battle of Algiers
In Cold Blood
The Graduate
The Jungle Book
Playtime
You Only Live Twice
1966
Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
Tokyo Drifter
Alfie
A Man For All Seasons
Young Torless
A Big Hand For The Little Lady
Fantastic Voyage
1965
The Sound Of Music
The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
Von Ryan’s Express
The Cincinnati Kid
Thunderball
For A Few Dollars More
1964
A Hard Day’s Night
Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
Mary Poppins
A Shot In The Dark
Pale Flower
Goldfinger
Three Outlaw Samurai
Fail-Safe
Becket
The Pink Panther
Viva Las Vegas
Zulu
Godzilla Vs Mothra
A Fistful of Dollars
1963
8 ½
High and Low
The Great Escape
Charade
This Sporting Life
The Nutty Professor
From Russia With Love
The Birds
Shock Corridor
Jason and the Argonauts
1962
Lawrence Of Arabia
The Manchurian Candidate
Lolita
The Trial Of Joan of Arc
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Cape Fear
The Longest Day
Ride The High Country
Dr. No
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Birdman Of Alcatraz
To Kill A Mockingbird
Jules and Jim
Last Year At Marienbad
1961
The Hustler
West Side Story
Yojimbo
The Guns Of Navarone
The Devil At Four O’Clock
1960
Jazz On A Summer’s Day
The Apartment
Psycho
La Dolce Vita
Rocco and His Brothers
The Magnificent Seven
The Entertainer
When A Woman Ascends The Stairs
The World Of Apu
Elmer Gantry
Inherit The Wind
Spartacus
Peeping Tom
The Alamo
Swiss Family Robinson
The Time Machine
1959
Wild Strawberries
The 400 Blows
North By Northwest
Breathless
Anatomy Of A Murder
Pork Chop Hill
Pickpocket
Ben-Hur
Some Like It Hot
Flame Over India
The FBI Story
The Mouse That Roared
On The Beach
Last Train From Gun Hill
Pillow Talk
Rio Bravo
Hiroshima, Mon Amour
1958
Touch Of Evil
Vertigo
The Hidden Fortress
A Night To Remember
The Horse's Mouth
Ashes and Diamonds
Big Deal On Madonna Street
Auntie Mame
The Big Country
Mon Oncle
The Fly
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad
1957
The Cranes Are Flying
What's Opera, Doc? (short)
Sweet Smell Of Success
3:10 To Yuma
The Seventh Seal
The Bridge On The River Kwai
Nights Of Cabiria
12 Angry Men
The Tall T
Old Yeller
Gunfight At The OK Corral
The Spirit Of St. Louis
A Face In The Crowd
Throne Of Blood
Fear Strikes Out
On The Bowery
1956
The Searchers
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
The Red Balloon
A Man Escaped
The King and I
Aparajito
Forbidden Planet
The Ten Commandments
The Silent World
All That Heaven Allows
Samurai III: Duel At Ganryu Island
Seven Men From Now
Written On The Wind
Anastasia
1955
Pather Panchali
The Night Of The Hunter
Mister Roberts
Rififi
Smiles Of A Summer Night
Rebel Without A Cause
Lady and the Tramp
The Ladykillers
The Far Country
Samurai II: Duel At Ichijoji Temple
The Man With The Golden Arm
The Violent Men
1954
Seven Samurai
Rear Window
On The Waterfront
A Star Is Born
Hobson’s Choice
Godzilla, King Of The Monsters! aka Gojira
The Belles Of St. Trinian’s
The Caine Mutiny
The High and the Mighty
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto
Sansho The Bailiff
Rouge Et Noir
1953
The Naked Spur
The Earrings Of Madame De…
Mr. Hulot’s Holiday
Ugetsu
Stalag 17
The Big Heat
Pickup On South Street
The Little Fugitive
From Here To Eternity
How To Marry A Millionaire
The Cruel Sea
House Of Wax
The Wages Of Fear
1952
The Quiet Man
Umberto D.
Bend Of The River
The Bad and the Beautiful
Ikiru
Forbidden Games
Othello
The Narrow Margin
Pat and Mike
1951
Ace In The Hole aka The Big Carnival
A Place In The Sun
The Lavender Hill Mob
A Streetcar Named Desire
The African Queen
A Christmas Carol aka Scrooge
The Thing
Detective Story
The Day The Earth Stood Still
Strangers On A Train
Diary Of A Country Priest
The River
The Man In The White Suit
The Lemon Drop Kid
1950
All About Eve
Winchester ‘73
Sunset Boulevard
Rashomon
The Furies
Father Of The Bride
Night and the City
The Gunfighter
Treasure Island
Born Yesterday
Harvey
Cheaper By The Dozen
Broken Arrow
D.O.A.
1949
The Third Man
Adam’s Rib
The Heiress
On The Town
Kind Hearts and Coronets
The Fallen Idol
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon
White Heat
Passport To Pimlico
They Live By Night
12 O’Clock High
The Window
A Letter To Three Wives
Border Incident
Gun Crazy
Chains
It Happens Every Spring
1948
Red River
Bicycle Thieves
Letter From An Unknown Woman
The Naked City
Fort Apache
State Of The Union
Oliver Twist
I Remember Mama
Call Northside 777
The Paleface
Joan Of Arc
Sitting Pretty
The Winslow Boy
Key Largo
Macbeth
The Lady From Shanghai
The Treasure Of Sierra Madre
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
The Snake Pit
1947
Out Of The Past
Odd Man Out
They Made Me A Fugitive
The Ghost And Mrs. Muir
Brute Force
T-Men
Road To Rio
Life With Father
Black Narcissus
Miracle On 34th St.
Nightmare Alley
The Egg And I
1946
It’s A Wonderful Life
Notorious
Great Expectations
A Matter Of Life and Death aka Stairway To Heaven
La Belle Et La Bete
Ivan The Terrible Part II
The Big Sleep
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Best Years Of Our Lives
The Yearling
My Darling Clementine
The Killers
The Harvey Girls
Road To Utopia
1945
Children Of Paradise
Rome, Open City
I Know Where I'm Going!
The Bells Of St. Marys
Fallen Angel
National Velvet
Mildred Pierce
Anchors Aweigh
The House On 92nd St.
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
Detour
They Were Expendable
The Story Of G.I. Joe
1944
The Miracle Of Morgan’s Creek
To Have And Have Not
Double Indemnity
Hail The Conquering Hero
Going My Way
Murder, My Sweet
Laura
Meet Me In St. Louis
Arsenic and Old Lace
Passage To Marseille
The Children Are Watching Us
1943
Casablanca
Ivan The Terrible Part I
The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp
Shadow Of A Doubt
The Ox-Bow Incident
The Human Comedy
Lassie Come Home
Five Graves To Cairo
A Guy Named Joe
I Walked With A Zombie
Millions Like Us
The Song Of Bernadette
1942
The Magnificent Ambersons
Bambi
The Palm Beach Story
Mrs. Miniver
Woman Of The Year
In Which We Serve
Cat People
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Road To Morocco
The Glass Key
The Pride Of The Yankees
Saboteur
For Me And My Gal
1941
Citizen Kane
Meet John Doe
The Lady Eve
The Maltese Falcon
How Green Was My Valley
The Little Foxes
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Sergeant York
Never Give A Sucker An Even Break
1940
The Philadelphia Story/The Shop Around The Corner (tie)
His Girl Friday
Pinocchio
The Bank Dick
The Grapes Of Wrath
Rebecca
Boom Town
Night Train To Munich
The Sea Hawk
Fantasia
My Favorite Wife
Christmas In July
The Thief Of Baghdad
They Drive By Night
1939
Rules of The Game
Stagecoach
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
The Women
Gunga Din
Midnight
The Wizard Of Oz
Ninotchka
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
Alexander Nevsky
The Stars Look Down
The Hound Of The Baskervilles
The Little Princess
Gone With The Wind
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes
Love Affair
Of Mice and Men
The Roaring Twenties
Wuthering Heights
Only Angels Have Wings
Drums Along The Mohawk
Young Mr. Lincoln
Goodbye Mr. Chips
1938
The Adventures Of Robin Hood
The Lady Vanishes
Olympia
Angels With Dirty Faces
Holiday
Test Pilot
Boys Town
Bringing Up Baby
1937
Pepe Le Moko
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The Awful Truth
A Day At The Races
Captains Courageous
Dead End
Topper
A Star Is Born
The Prisoner Of Zenda
Shall We Dance
1936
My Man Godfrey
Swing Time
Dodsworth
Fury
Libeled Lady
Secret Agent
A Tale Of Two Cities
Modern Times
Follow The Fleet
1935
Top Hat
A Night At The Opera
The Bride Of Frankenstein
The 39 Steps
Captain Blood
Lives Of A Bengal Lancer
Alice Adams
Mutiny On The Bounty
David Copperfield
The Informer
Triumph Of The Will
1934
The Thin Man
L’Atalante
It Happened One Night
It’s A Gift
Tarzan And His Mate
The Gay Divorcee
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Twentieth Century
Treasure Island
The Count Of Monte Cristo
Gambling Lady
1933
Duck Soup
King Kong
I’m No Angel
The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse
Bed of Roses
Little Women
Bombshell
The Invisible Man
42nd Street
Wild Boys Of The Road
1932
Trouble In Paradise
Scarface
Horse Feathers
I Was Born, But...
Grand Hotel
Tarzan The Ape Man
Jewel Robbery
1931
M
Monkey Business
City Lights
Frankenstein
Public Enemy
The Front Page
Little Caesar
Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde
The Champ
1930
The Last Command
The Circus
Animal Crackers
1929
Man With A Movie Camera
Pandora’s Box
In Old Arizona
1928
The Crowd
Sadie Thompson
The Wind
1927
Sunrise
Metropolis
Underworld
Wings
The Beloved Rogue
1926
The General
The Adventures Of Prince Achmed
Beau Geste
1925
Battleship Potemkin
The Gold Rush
The Freshman
1924
Greed
Sherlock Jr.
The Navigator
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