rohanaka

the least worthy list Not by a long shot!! It's a terrific list and nicely presented. Well done, Miss G. And well worth waiting for. I like how you give both "technical" and personal reasons for your choices. Something that will appeal to the "more well-read and learned" folks and also those who "still have a lot to learn about film history and filmmaking" (like myself) And with regard to your two Ford choices... a sneaky way of listing two films by the same director HA!!! I think your selections are perfect choices and deserve their place on the list. And I might also add that if you had NOT gotten at least two Fords on here--I would think you had someone else write this thing for you. (I'm still wondering--where's Hitch????". :-)

Ha! I'd forgotten all about that movie. Dennis Quaid would be a good choice. But I wish the whole team of scientists could just transfer over into Martin Short to continue their story. He was a much more entertaining "host" for all these festivities. :-) Message was edited by: rohanaka

Osmosis Jones I can't say it was the best film I ever saw (not by a long shot) but it did actually have some humourous moments. It's a mix of animation and live action....the live parts star Bill Murray as "Frank" and the animated portions are inside his body--"aka "The City of Frank" William Shatner is the mayor and there are several others providing voices as well. Chris Rock is "Jones" --he plays a "detective" on the white blood cell police force. Will leave the rest for you to discover on your own if you decide to watch it....probably would be most entertaining to say...a fourth grader...as there is a lot of "bodily function" humor involved with it (as you may have already guessed.)

that image of her legs curling up under the house! Yikes Oh- April--I know what you mean. And the music...so startling!! Very creepy!! And I also thought of Sullivan's Travels when I was writing about "IHON". I loved how it took him the entire story to figure out something so basic and universal as the need for laughter even in the most depressed circumstances. Thank you for the kind words abut my post, but I do think I tend to get a little carried away explaining myself sometimes. And my thoughts only seem organized...I am sure that little mouse running around on that wheel inside my head will run out of cheese one day....and the truth of my cluttered mind will "out" itself for sure. :-) Even though I tried to think my way through each choice, once I got into it I had an easier time of things than I first expected--especially since you graciously left room for everyone to choose for themselves the defininition behind "important". And one thing I seem to always be able to chatter on and on about is what I think about ______ (just fill in the blank). My husband will tell you--I have no empty accounts at the "First National Bank of My Own Opinion". :-) But now....to the one topic I am still very interested in.... I hope others will still submit their lists if they haven't done so Me too--(Hint Hint-- April!!) :-) PS--Jack--That Lee Marvin was probably a prince among men...he just had a bad rap from all of his rotten film characters!! :-) However--I thought he was absolutely hilarious in Dovovan's Reef. So-even though he still played a "jerk"--at least he was a funny and (mostly) harmless one! Message was edited by: rohanaka

Call in Osmosis Jones ( I just saw this movie the other day--no comment beyond that) :-) Have him tell his fellow white blood cells to "back off...these scientists are just trying to do their job" Then he can stay behind and direct traffic..."Move along folks....nothing to see here" And the whole medical team can then go peacefully on their way.

Ok--here it goes...I guess I should start out by saying that in order to come up with my list I first tried to think about what it is that could be called ?important ? about any movie. Because after all--we are really only talking about movies here. And yet I know that throughout human history mankind has looked to storytelling as a way to inform, educate and of course--entertain. And since we now have so many other means at our disposal to gain information and education...the primary purpose for most films now days is--of course--entertainment. And I should also point out that as creatures who seem to rely so heavily on storytelling--even from an early age--movies often have a lot to do with shaping our character and mindset. (whether we are even conscious of it or not.) Now please keep in mind the five choices on my list are all result of a very ?subjective? line of thinking on my part. But I did try to think of films that in some way for me have set a standard with regard to certain other films of a similar nature. These are just my opinions and have no real ?value? beyond what they mean to me. I can?t honestly say that all of these films are also among my Top 5 favorite movies of all time--that?s a totally separate list. (In fact--my ABSOLUTE favorite (The Quiet Man) isn?t even on here....and don?t think I didn?t try to find a way to put it in here--because I did) :-) But these 5 films are all very high up on my list. And also, I will add that I draw the line at putting them in any sort of order...WAY too challenging--(so they are just listed here as I thought of them) My list of the top 5 Important Films: *The Wizard of Oz* : What a spectacular movie! I have seen this film nearly two dozen times (at least) and I think every time I watch it I discover something new I did not notice before. Even if you first watched it as an adult....you can?t help but be amazed at all the wonderful sites and the characters and the music. But IF you watched it for the first time as a little kid (and I suspect that most of us who have seen it probably did)--you will always enjoy those childhood memories no matter how many times you see it later on (even if you were like me and had to run and hide everytime that rotten old witch came on screen!) because they become a part of the whole movie watching experience as well. It?s no longer just about the story...but also about how you remember it affecting you when you were younger. I love to watch small children discover this film for the first time. There is just something about the way it captures their attentions and their imaginations. To me....it is the introductory guide to movie watching. There ought to be some sort of law that if you are going to show your young child ANY movie made in recent years...you must first let them see the Wizard of Oz to set the standard for everything else they will ever watch. (Doubt that one will ever make it through both the house and the senate...but would love to hear the debate on it.) :-) *Ben Hur:* (and I have to say that if I can cheat...I would recommend watching BOTH versions--the Silent one first--then the one with Charlton Heston....not so much so you can compare them to each other....but rather so they can fill in what some might find lacking in either film. Some will say the characters might be better developed in one or the other of the two versions....others will say the stories vary a bit...so you should see this one or that one for whatever reason. I personally prefer the latter version....just because of its grandeur. But again..both of these films together set a VERY high standard of storytelling that is not often equaled in other movies. And the action and suspense along with the drama are enough to keep even the calmest, most sedate movie-goer on the edge of his seat. To me, this story is just so powerful and the themes are universal....love--hate--revenge--repentance. And in the case of this film, it is all told in a personal way...one man?s experience. The entire story revolves around two significant moments of ?chance? encounter-- intersecting at a specific moment in time. In fact it is every moment in his life eventually leading him to this one great event. Very moving. *Gone With The Wind--* Though many films have tried--there has never been another movie like GWTW. This to me is the highest standard when it comes to historical romance (at least with regard to this particular period in history). And while it may be true that at least some of the characters in this story may be ?pegged? into certain types, each and every one is just what one expects from stories about this era. Scarlett Ohara and Rhett Butler are perhaps two of the most unlikable and also the best loved characters in movie romance history. And with the costumes and sets and all the supporting roles so well played, if you could only see one film set in this timeframe with this sort of storyline....again...Gone With the Wind would have to be the standard. Not to mention the fact that the ending is so....well what can I say-- appropriate! (I don?t think there?s anyone in the free world who doesn?t know how this thing ends...so hopefully this will not need a spoiler alert)...After EVERYTHING they go through I don?t know whether to be disgusted or just relieved when he walks out that door and leaves her standing there with her mouth hanging open. And then her terrific ?self-preservation mode? response....?Tomorrow is another day.? This next one is a bit more tricky for me, because I could probably flip a coin and be equally as happy talking about any of the three following.....The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, or Stagecoach. But since coins only have two sides....I will narrow it down to the first two because I probably prefer both of them over the third...and then (?flip?) will have to go with the one I?ve probably seen more times than the other *The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance:* Now I?m starting to think Ford films ought to have their own special forum on here after all the many posts I?ve seen and read. A while back I went searching around for all his many movie titles to see what I still needed to watch and was surprised at how many titles there were in his ?filmography? that I had already seen--I just did not realize they were Ford?s. So that ought to tell you that I must see something in his movies that appeals to me as a viewer...because if there is one thing that I DO know about movies....I know what I like to watch. But having said all that--if I wanted to pick a single Western that really sort of sets a standard--I will choose Liberty Valance. (and again--it?s only because it won the coin toss--a definite case could be made for this same standard being set by either of the other two films as well.) I would not go so far as to say that ?The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance? is the best western ever made. Mainly because I know there are an awful lot of westerns and I haven?t seen them all....and EVERYONE has an opinion on what they think is the best western ever made. But I will say that this film is certainly among the best. And that is primarily due to the rich characters and the heartfelt themes in this story. And we could (and I think some-including myself--have) gone on and on about who was the better man...Rance or Tom....and what was the better choice...for Rance to come clean early on...or accept the future that Tom more or less provided for him at his own expense. But the point is that this is the story behind the story--if you will- that shows so clearly how all our favorite legends and folk stories about the old west can be ?humanized? and made real. And yet in the end--we will still embrace the legend because we love it more than any truth behind it. And for the record.... I also think this film is worth watching if for no other reason than just to see what is perhaps one of the most horrible, mean-spirited bullies ever written into fiction handily meet his well deserved fate. For me, Lee Marvin just can?t be in any other film without me automatically comparing him to his role in this one in some way or another. It doesn?t matter what sort of character he is playing in any other movie because subconsciously I expect that character to be a rotten jerk. (Talk about ?type casting?--HA! He just should not have been so good at being bad!) . Sometimes when this movie gets discussed--Rance and Tom get all the attention. Even Hally gets more chatter...but I say give the ?devil? his due. If it weren?t for Liberty Valance....you?d only have a movie called ?The Man Who Shot?....and what would be the fun in that? :-) *KING KONG--* and yes, of course I am talking about the original. But only because it IS the original--at least as far as I?m concerned anyway. There may have been other ?monster? movies made before this film but this is probably the first one people think of when trying to decide who was the ?first?. King Kong set the standard and laid all the groundwork for countless films that followed--some that are really entertaining and well made...and plenty of ?cheesy, lame? attempts as well. I originally thought of Jurassic Park when I thought of a movie to list of this sort--mostly because to me....this film also sets a modern day standard with all of it?s groundbreaking techniques. (I mean...come on--Steven Spielburg more or less brought the dinosaurs back to life) but I just had to go back further than that to find the film that to me was the original standard....and the further I went...the closer I got to the 1930?s and viola....the one that started it all....King Kong The techniques used to make this film are the stuff present day filmmakers still talk about. And the stop action animation that made it possible for a giant gorilla to take on New York are still among the most entertaining and suspenseful moments in ?monster movie? history. King Kong is the ?monster king?....and all those who followed after.... just his many loyal subjects. *IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT:* Bet you didn't see this one coming. And the truth is, neither did I. But the more I got to thinking about it, the more I decided that if I were to choose one ?screwball? romantic comedy to set the bar for all the others....I would choose this one. It doesn?t matter how many times I see this movie...every time I see it, I laugh myself silly. And of course it follows every stereotypical ?romantic comedy? formula one would expect: Girl is spoiled and needs to be taken down a peg or two...guy starts out as an arrogant chump but will eventually end up being a decent human being. Girl and guy are thrown together--more or less against their will--and have to overcome some insurmountable obstacle. And somewhere in the midst of it...a lot of goofy funny things happen...and also they manage to (maybe grudgingly) find out they?ve fallen for each other. But in the case of this movie--although you may recognize the predictable aspects of it--there are so many twists and turns--not to mention plenty of funny side characters and really snappy dialogue that you don?t mind a bit. (Come on--everybody sing with me... ?Young people in love...are very seldom hungry!?) And every time I see any tv show or movie with a blanket over a rope between two beds....I think of ?the walls of Jericho?. Gable and Colbert play off of each other so beautifully in this film. This is among my all time favorite films for both of these actors. But I guess the real reason I like this film so well has to do with the fact that I know I can pull it out...sit down and watch....and no matter what else might be going on in my day...I know I?m gonna start laughing any minute. And everybody needs a good laugh now and then. So there you have it... my top 5 list. There are lots of other films I could mention-(some that have already been mentioned on here--others that might not be so popular) that have also been "standard setters" as well. But it's probably a good thing that we are only listing the top 5 here because as you can see...I do tend to go on and on...and on. (and for now--enough is enough!) Thank you for letting me post these thoughts. I know most of you are more learned about films and filmmaking...so it is a real treat for me to get a chance to fill up so much space talking amongst you. And for those of you who actually made it to the end of this ridiculously long ?list?--I hope it all made sense. :-)

I agree this is probably an "aquired" taste. I do like some aspects of black comedy...but this one really stretched it for me...The scenes with Martha Raye were hilarious (in the canoe--at the wedding, etc) and I thought the story was "resolved" well at the end...but still found it all a bit too disturbing. I agree--he did get some good lines in the courtroom speech and also the things he says afterward...I just don't think this one is my cup of tea. Robert Osborne touched a little on how unpopular it was--talking about how Orson Welles only getting recognition for his part in the film AFTER it was criticized so heavily. I'm sure he appreciated that---Not! :-) I think this is one of those stories that just has to find the right audience.

Of course I missed it...I have got to start paying better attention to the schedule. Miss G--did you record Limelight? How did you like it? I made it through the end of Monsier Verdoux....and gave out. Too tired to keep watching. (plus...that was such an "unusual" story...I don't think I could have made it through another.)

why you think everyone should see those films. Hmmmmm..(That creaky sound you are hearing coming from the west right now is the sound of my rusty wheels starting to turn) Will give it some thought. :-)

I commend you Thanks--every now and then I let the looniness out. :-)

P.S. Do you have your list, yet? What is difficult for me is to try and separate what is imortant only to ME from what might make them important to audiences in general. We have a similar problem...Will have to give the whole thing a lot more thought before I could try to do it. I don't know much about the history of filmmaking or the relevance of world issues going on at the time, etc that may have made certain films stand out as "important". But I am enjoying reading everyone else's ideas. As a less-than-educated film watcher, I don't know if I would be the best person to come up with a list like this because it would probably only be relevant to me. I once wrote an essay on the differences between "real" and "perceived" value and how people tend to get the two confused. This would definitely be a situation where there is a lot of room for my "subjective" to interfere with my "objective". I will try to come up with a list...but it may not be as relevant to the conversation as others....You always have great ideas when it comes to subjects like this. Maybe I will cheat and wait till you put out your list and then I'll just say--"yeah--what she said!" :-)

Hi April....there are some very impressive posts on here. And some really interesting lists of films. But the one I was specifically looking for I have not found yet...what are the 5 you would choose? I saw your list of dirctors..but would enjoy reading your thoughts on what films you would have on your own top 5. (PS--sorry if you posted it and I just missed it somewhere--I did not read through every post--but I did get through some of them.) :-)

Think I better take a pass just in case....la-la-la-la. :-)

Don't worry--That's what I get for being such a "link clickin' junkie!" And if it ever gets too "blue"--I am really good at the eyes shut--fingers in my ears---and voice repeating LA-LA-LA! thing. (or of course...there's always the mute button--but the other way is more fun.) :-)

OH WOW--I forgot how wonderful the ending to The Great Dictator really is. That speech was so moving...especially when you consider the context behind it....wish some of our present day "speakers" would say things like this. So glad it was Chaplin day! It never ceases to amaze me how a guy who is responsible for making so many people laugh-is also the same guy who can bring all those same people to tears all at the same time. .

HA!! Loved the "Fill your hands..." line at the end...but boy are my ears burning form the potty mouth! I think that guy was getting a little hot under the collar! You always manage to come up with the craziest (and most hilarious) links. I think I am like a little guppy just swimming along and then whammo-- you show up and reel me in!!

Did she like Charlie? Yes--for the most part. She really loved the factory scenes--especially the part where he is eating (or trying to eat) the corn on the cob... and she also liked the roller skating scene. I haven't ever seen the other films you mentioned...(I have seen parts of The Kid, but not much--sorry I missed that one this morning) I did see most of City Lights earlier, and I've seen the one that's one now ( Dictator) a long time ago...now that the evening is winding down for everybody--will try to catch the end of it before I hit the hay. I wish I could set my VCR for the other you metioned coming on later....we got a new vcr/dvd thing...and the other night was the first time I tried to tape with it...I could not figure out how to get it set on the channel I wanted--(so now I have to go looking for whatever I did with the crummy instruction book) so won't likely get to tape it tonight...you'll have to tell me how you liked it. Jack--your computer moniter sounds like mine....minus the soda though. :-) Message was edited by: rohanaka

EEWW--now you need to get a couple of of those automatic napkin things like in the movie--one to wipe your face and the other to wipe your computer!!

I can picture it now..I can just hear Robert Osborn announcing an evening of comedy Silent films dedicated to: "THE FAT ONE AND THE THIN ONE AND THE GUY THAT LOOKS LIKE ROBERT GOULET!" :-)

Hi Jack--I decided to pop over here from the "Silent" thread--to tell you another bit about my daughter watching Chaplin--I did not want to distract from the Chaplin viewers...maybe you will read this sometime later on.. Earlier this evening when we started watching...we sort of missed the very beginning but came in just at the part where he is working on the assembly line...right before the food machine scene. My daughter said--"Mom--what is Robert Goulet doing with all those tools??" I started cracking up. (Not too many 5 yr olds know Robert Goulet by name) There was a commercial on tv a while back for some sort of snack food where it shows what happens when you get distracted by hunger at work....and they had Robert Goulet sneaking in and messing up everyone's offices.( I think they stopped playing it after his death--but their slogan was something like eat our snack and "keep Goulet away." My daughter used to stand in front of the tv and yell at him..."No Robert Goulet...you put that back!" when he'd climb across the ceiling and steal stuff. I think she was 3 when it first came out, and now if she sees any man on TV with dark hair and a mustache...she automatically thinks its Robert Goulet. I think she was actually disappointed when I told her it was Charlie Chaplin. She went around the rest of the time calling him "the guy who looks like Robert Goulet." What can I say...weird runs in our family. :-) Message was edited by: rohanaka

belly laughing at Chaplin's eating machine scene! I should probably go and try to get her to bed, but I hate to do it.... I am so happy that she loves Chaplin now. Glad your daughter is enjoying it too. We are probably about an hour or two behind you...bedtime's not for another 30-40 minutes Our's was laughing it up with the corn on the cob and roller skating bits--but she got distracted with her toys and went off to play. Every time I hear that theme music..I think of him strolling off in the distance with his famous walk. What a nice way to pass a Saturday evening.

no one in my family knows why I am bawling like a baby right now I just got asked that question by my 5 yr old. :-) (She also wanted to know why everybody was talking but no sound was coming out...HA!) Message was edited by: rohanaka

I like how you included the sidekicks and horses...not many good westerns are complete without them! (as far as the horses go...I am torn between Trigger and Silver.)

That'll be the day." That one and "Oh Shut-tup!" :-)

Do you think we'll have to cut in the Chinaman and the General? The Chinaman has his own business to worry about--so he won't notice ours, and that cat is so old and fat...he probably won't live long enough to see any money! Or we could just go with...Column 3 message 1--- And THAT-baby sister--is NO TRADE! (I am starting to get these memorized...I worry about myself.) :-)