"This is war! This is not a game of cricket!"

I have crossed some more films off of my list:

10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)

16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)

13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)

I liked Singin' in the Rain. Gene Kelly is an amazing dancer, and the movie has some very funny moments. I also liked Debbie Reynolds quite a bit; I think it is the first time I have seen a movie from her heyday. (I mostly know her from Will & Grace, after all.) Overall, Singin' in the Rain is not really my kind of film, so I would not really put it so high on my own list, but I did appreciate its qualities, and I got a kick out of it. The film is worth seeing just for Donald O'Connor's performance, especially his Vaudeville slapstick routine of "Make 'Em Laugh," which completely steals the show.


I have similar feelings about All About Eve, I guess. I enjoyed it, and I relished Bette Davis's performance as an over-the-top actress being stalked by a younger actress. And I think it deserves to be recognized as a great film . . . but I would not put it so high up on the list. But if you have never seen a Bette Davis performance, this is a great one to see.

The Bridge on the River Kwai -- now this one I loved. The film is another epic by David Lean, who directed Lawrence of Arabia, and tells the story of a group of POWs in a Japanese prison camp who set out to build a bridge for the Japanese government. Alec Guinness (yep, Obi-Wan) plays the colonel of the prisoners, and he is determined to build the bridge with pride and skill, even though the bridge will help the enemy -- He believes this is British work ethic. Meanwhile, an escaped American POW, played by William Holden, joins a mission to blow up the bridge. The film overflows with beautiful imagery and stirring performances, highlighted by Guinness's slightly insane colonel.

Long before he became one with the Force