"His brain has not only been washed . . . It has been dry cleaned."

Here is a fairly big batch of cross-offs from my AFI film list, and there were some great ones in this bunch.

77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)

66. NETWORK (1976)

99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)

72. BEN-HUR (1959)

86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)

69. SHANE (1953)

67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)

85. DUCK SOUP (1933)

89. PATTON (1970)

38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)

American Graffiti - Directed by a pre-Star Wars George Lucas, this entertaining slice-of-life teen comedy/drama is well-made and fun. I suppose some of the classicness of the film is lost on non-Baby Boomers, but it is an enjoyable movie.

Network - This is great. Network is a prescient and distrubing look into the lengths a television news network will go for ratings. It predates and predicts much reality television and shock journalism, and it is scary how relevant this film is today. Director Sidney Lumet has created a tense morality tale about anchorman who loses his mind and gains a cult following -- Howard Beale, the Mad Prophet of the Airwaves.

"I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner - I loved this film. Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, and Sidney Poitier star in the way-ahead-of-its-time story of interracial romance.

I love how the film portrays the inner conflicts of the heretofore liberal parents whose daughter brings home a black man. The film is a bit heavy-handed, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.


Ben-Hur - Here is another example of a film I was dreading. From what I knew about it, the story really did not interest me at all, and I have never been a fan of Charlton Heston, whether as over-the-top actor or as over-the-top gun lunatic. But one thing I am learning from watching all of these films is that I must be a fan of the epic. It turns out I liked this film. Yes, Heston overacts throughout, but the story is interesting and the cinematography is top-notch.

"I am Judah Ben-Hur, and because my face is chiseled
from stone, I am incapable of emoting."

And Ben-Hur shares the record for most Oscars for a single film, with 11 statues.


Mutiny on the Bounty - This is a well-made, entertaining ship movie. A sea yarn. Yo ho ho. Clark Gable is good, but the highlight is Charles Laughton's swinelike portrayal of the evil Captain Bligh.


Duck Soup - I had never seen a Marx Brothers movie before the other day. And now I know that I never want to see another one. This is the first movie from the film list that I have absolutely hated. I hated it. It was so unfunny that words cannot even express my disappointment. The "humor" consisted of very stupid puns and some of the most annoying physical gags I have ever seen. I know the Marx Brothers were important and popular, but I do not get it. I honestly did not even smile once during the entire film, much less laugh.



Patton - Here is another epic film, this one telling the story of the controversial WWII general. George C. Scott's portrayal of the complicated Patton is excellent. In addition to the biographical aspects, this is also a war film, with very well done battle sequences. Overall, a very good movie.



Double Indemnity - This film noir prototype was just released on DVD last week, and it was well worth the wait. It has all of the aspects of film noir, from the dark shadows to the femme fatale to the double-crossing.

Fred MacMurray, whom I previously only knew from My Three Sons and The Shaggy Dog, is delightfully wicked in this dark role. And director Billy Wilder just continues to impress me.


Shane - Once again, I was not sure I would like this film. I knew about the famous lines ("Shane! Shane! Come back, Shane!") and the whole "fight for honor" Western storyline, but I thought it would be too cheesey. But I loved Shane. This is a beautiful film about honor and love and family.

Much speculation exists about the ending of the movie; in fact, the ending of Shane provokes heated debate. Is he, or isn't he? I don't want to spoil anything, but I know what I feel, and to me there is no debate. And my way makes the movie better in my mind.


The Manchurian Candidate - Brilliant, disturbing, essential. A masterpiece.