#17 AFI/#171 IMDb - The Graduate

After the craziness of the Thanksgiving holiday and the fact that Netflix kept borking with the streaming feed, I finally was able to sit down and watch "The Graduate" tonight.

I'll have to say my first reaction to the movie is that they don't make films like this anymore. It was hard to get into that frame of mind. Now a days you have so much going on to stimulate that you don't really sit and think about what's going on beneath the surface or relate on a deeper level with a character.

Ben's character to me is confused, socially inadequate and not really sure about anything. After the god awful date with Elaine I think she was in the same boat. That's what initially brought the two of them together so fast. It's not completely drawn out but in my interpretation, she takes comfort in the fact that Ben has no idea what's going on either and maybe they can figure it out together.

The movie as a whole was written wonderfully, the music (by the masters of Simon and Garfunkel) just fit perfectly. I loved the camera work and the different angles. Dustin Hoffman's awkwardness is perfect for the character and I truly believe it does fall on the Top Movies lists.

Those I have seen: The AFI List

So here is the list from the AFI list that I have seen and thoughts:

       ** I am writing this on 1/27/2013 but going off of what I had already seen at the beginning of my project on 11/18/2011

8. Schindler's List --  I watched this when I was back in about 8th grade. We were studying the Holocaust in History/English classes and in perfect timing, NBC or other affiliate was playing the movie in it's entirety one night. I watched it by myself and was just completely blown away. I couldn't really cry per se, I just remember being so emotionally drawn that I had to sit for a few minutes and just process what I had seen. Very moving film and just something I think everyone needs to see to understand. 

10. The Wizard of Oz --  What is there to say about this classic? It's a great story with a wonderful message and Judy Garland was just amazing in every way. 

13. Star Wars  -- I surprised but happy this made the list. Interesting they chose the "first" of the trilogy in my mind, but I guess they see it as the start of one of the most influential sci-fi films. I love Star Wars and pretty much everything involving it so in order to not go off on a huge tangent I'll leave it at that. I will say though I have run into people who have NOT seen any of the Star Wars films. I tell them to start with A New Hope and then yell at them for never seeing them :) 

24. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial -- I hate to say it but I remember when I first watched this way back when, I liked the film itself as a whole, but I did not like ET. To this day, I still think that thing is creepy.. 

25. To Kill a Mockingbird -- We read the story in grade school and then watched the film afterwards. I really liked it because well Gregory Peck is exactly how I pictured Atticus Finch. The movie I think is important on it's own because of what the basis of the story is and when it came out. It's a huge piece of cinematic history and one I think everyone absolutely has to watch.

34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs -- The one that started it all. The one that made Disney a household name. I do think it is a classic and every kid should watch it. It's not that different from today's standards just a bit less in your face. The beauty of hand-drawn animation, the songs everyone knows and the gooey feeling you get at the end when her prince finally comes. 

51. West Side Story -- One of my absolute favorite musicals. I adore the music as Leonard Bernstein was a genius. It was an "issue pushing" story and utilizes the timeless story of star-crossed lovers, but it does it in such a magical yet realistic way that it works and works well. I can't help but sing along and want to dance whenever I watch this. 

66. Raiders of the Lost Ark --  Again first in the Indiana Jones trilogy (I don't count Kingdom of the Crystal Skull because of obvious reasons). Action, humor, adventure, a love story.. it's got it all and it does it well. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas made an EXCELLENT team back then. I have enjoyed this movie since I can remember. Another that people should see that goes along the same vein as the Star Wars trilogy. It's just one of those iconic films that has been entertaining people for years. 

71. Saving Private Ryan -- Spielberg, the King of Epic films. This was no exception! I read recently that Steven made the cast go through an intense boot-camp like experience so that they'd be able to relate. I'm not 100% sure about the historical aspect of it, as in some of the major events, but I have read reviews that state it's pretty good at conveying that information. I just love that you get so into the films and are really thrown in with this group on their mission. I would have to agree on a lot of reviews stating it's one of the best 'war' movies ever. I might watch this one again in the near future because it is that good. 

72. The Shawshank Redemption -- Seen many a times topping lists of the best films and I can see why. It's  simple story about friendship and redemption. There's no special effects, nothing blowing up in your face or intense action. It's a brilliant story with amazing actors. It's quite amazing that such a simple film can have that much effect on the audience but with the right players it can be done and this film shows that. 

76. Forrest Gump -- Hopefully everyone has seen this film. It's been on TV so much lately and it was that film that everyone wanted to go see when it was out. There is so much about that film that's wonderful, the acting, the story itself, the flow.. and it's just a great film and very memorable. I will have to say though that it did get to a point where I did get sick of it. It was everywhere originally and it has recently made a comeback. While I LOVE the idea we are exposing this great film to younger generations, I felt like it was on overload. I think it's one of those films like Braveheart or the Gladiator that I watch once, like it, appreciate it but then probably not see it again until like 15 years down the road ya know? 

83. Titantic -- Again something I think everyone has already seen and what's been said has been said over and over again. Recently again they re-released it (in 3-D right? was that really needed??) and again some people got to see it, or see it again and relive it. It's an epic film that took OVER the Oscars and deservedly so but to me it's not my ultimate favorite. 

87. 12 Angry Men -- Another one that was gratefully exposed to me from grade school. We read the play and then watched the film in class and compared. I think back when they decided to do films about books they tried to remain true to the story. Nowadays there's a lot of interpretation and people that want to "jazz it up" but not this. Sidney Lumet who directed also Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico and recently Before the Devil Knows Your Dead, took this story and didn't mess with it. Again, a movie that relies on the superb performances and wonderful plot to carry it without the added effects or major attention grabbing theatrics. 

89. The Sixth Sense -- To me, the best film M. Night Shyamalan did. I won't say much about this film because you can't without ruining it, but I thought it was done with a lot of care. There's a lot of attention to detail and when you finally hit the climax of the film you have this lightbulb go off and are pretty amazed at that point. It's a great vehicle for Bruce Willis as an actor as well. I loved him cast in the role he played and I think he hit it perfectly. It is a film that when you go back and watch it again it is a different film. But still a good one! 

94. Pulp Fiction -- Tarantino. My love for Tarantino is strong. I ADORE his films and his style. He's got a unique yet crazy perspective and I do like his flow. I see parallels with him and Guy Ritchie (Snatch.. one of my favorites) in that they like to jump around the timeline, which makes things interesting. He's got a wicked and morbid sense of humor and a love himself of certain genres which he pulls inspiration and homage to. This film is just wild and crazy and just played expertly by the cast. 

99. Toy Story -- Back when Pixar was a baby and no one really knew what it was up to. This film is the start of America's love story with animation. I remember seeing ads for it and thinking this was going to be something amazing. I wasn't wrong. Not only was it a beautiful film, it was funny and heartfelt and overall just plain wonderful. It did launch the Pixar/Disney fairytale marriage and I'm so glad that this and other films have been a result of that. Great for kids and parents and everyone alike and just an epic film. 

So that's it from the 100 Films on AFI. Kinda sad huh? That's why I'm doing this project! So many more to experience and enjoy. Do you have any comments on these films? What were your thoughts when watching these?

How It All Started

So today at work, I read an article that they were opening up the case on the death of Natalie Wood. I announced that to my coworkers nearby and I got a few "who?"'s in response.

...  hmm Ok. Well I give my slightly younger coworkers the benefit of the doubt. I think my generation and probably a majority of those that came after haven't heard of Natalie Wood. I explained who this was thinking that most people have seen West Side Story. 

I was wrong. Or those that knew OF West Side Story had no idea of Natalie Wood.  So this sparked a conversation about other older actors and actresses and the movies they were in. Most of which they had NO idea. My friend Heather, (thank GOD) knew if I said "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" that it was a movie starring James Stewart. 

We got to talking and I was reminded of the AFI's Top 100 Movies of the last 100 Years list. I brought this up and got to searching. I found the list of the 10th Anniversary of said list (2008) and decided to print it out and see which ones I have seen or not. Top 100 List to take a look at it yourself! I must admit my list is pretty sad but atleast I know the movies on the list and can tell you who starred in it and/or directed. 

So I decided that I was going to sit and watch all the movies on this list! Looking at it I kinda figured that AFI might be a bit "formal" about their selections -- more classics and true epic films, but I wanted another vantage point and some newer films so I'm also going to include the IMDb's list of Top 250 Movies voted by users. (*As of today 11/18/2011). The IMDb List if you'd like to take a gander at it yourself. I decided not to check off a movie as "seen" if I can't really recall anything about it or haven't seen it all the way through...   Oh boy, this might take a while.. 

I have a pretty big list it looks like but I'm excited to start. I figured I'd start a blog (I know.. late to the game) to give my opinions on movies and hopefully share some knowledge and spark interest in those glorious films that a lot of my generation is missing out on! 

I decided not to watch them in any particular order so I asked a coworker for a random number to pick the first movie off of the IMDb list (just happened to be the list I was looking at at the time). He chose 171 which is "The Graduate"! (If you start humming "Mrs. Robinson" you're in the same boat I have been in all day) 

Now I do have 1 movie that's been sitting on my shelf for a while from my Netflix queue so I'm going to watch that first before starting on my list. On with THE MOVIES!