#121 The General (1926)

This movie is one I tried to watch with +Nancy Blackman, but I fell asleep. I then tried to watch it again, and I had to stop it to fall asleep. I guess I know what to do to fall asleep. This was the second non-Charlie Chaplin silent film. I now know I just don't like Charlie Chaplin. #243 Nosferatu (1922) at least had a decent story. This movie is more like Chaplin films in the sense that it relies on physical comedy. At least this film was different from Chaplin by not having the same character become rich again. This movie at least had somewhat of a story. I can't say that it was my favorite because I really don't like silent films.
This film takes place during the Civil War. I thought it was kind of odd that the South was the "hero." I guess they had to because it was loosely based on the Great Locomotive Chase. Considering this wasn't too far after D. W. Griffin's The Birth of a Nation and Plessy v Ferguson, I do question what the country's opinion of the South. By the way, isn't The Birth of a Nation supposed to be one of the most groundbreaking films of all time? Why isn't it on the list? I chalk it up to people not liking movies they didn't grow up with and its overtly racist story.

"If you lose this war, don't blame me." -Jonnie

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#135 The Gold Rush (1925)

My dislike for Chaplin is well documented, (#43 Modern Times (1936), #39 City Lights (1931), #66 The Great Dictator (1940) and #124 The Kid (1921)) so I won't waste any more time with that. I will just confirm that this movie is just like the rest. Same characters, same story, same ending, different location. It's terrible. Poor guy gets rich and gets the woman. Why did people keep paying for this?

The only fun history is maybe that this takes place during a gold rush. Well, by this time, the gold rush was over by a couple decades. 

In case you haven't noticed, I am going to try, as much as possible, to go chronologically through the rest of the movies. I think it is important to being able to appreciate them. Now I can easily tell who came up with what first, and what really is original. The only exception to me going out of order will be if +Leslie Roskovich wants to watch something.

"I thought you was a chicken." -Big Jim McKay

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#243 Nosferatu (1922)

This is the first non-English film. I think I have had American, English, and Australian. There could be others gallivanting about but I can't be so sure. Anyways, I didn't even know this was a German film till I looked it up. I guess that is the beauty of silent films, easy to adapt for other languages, and the audience is none the wiser.
I think this is my first non-Charlie Chaplin silent film. So this is my first chance to determine if I hate all silent films, or just ones that masquerade with Hitler mustaches. I must say, I didn't mind this. The movie was a horror film, and considering this must've been one of the first, it was suspenseful. The music, at times, was riveting. It was creepy. Still, it was very slow. It is hard to keep my attention with a long silent film. But the production value was very high, and I can see why this is so famous.
From a historical context, it is fun to see what the Germans were doing in between starting world wars. They were pretty poor when this came out, but just on the cusp of historically poor. So I don't know how they could afford to go to the movies. Also, I find it funny that the Germans ripped this entirely from the English (the story of Dracula. They only changed the names but in the version I watched, the names weren't even changed) without paying anyone. What makes this funny is that Dracula, at least to some, is supposed to be an anti-Semitic symbol. The German's big criticism of Jews is that they were not creative and could only steal from others. Pot calling the kettle black?
Also, this movie taught me the Carpathian Mountains is a place. And Finn seemed to enjoy the movie.

"Is this your wife? What a lovely throat." -Count Orlok (Dracula)

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#124 The Kid (1921)

I thought I was done with Charlie Chaplin movies. Three is enough (#43 Modern Times (1936), #39 City Lights (1931), and #66 The Great Dictator (1940)). As you may know, I am no fan of Chaplin. It is all too slapstick for me. I just looked it up, and I have at least one more Charlie Chaplin movie: #135 The Gold Rush (1925). There may be more, but as of now, that is all I can find. This film is just like the others. I mean, it is even Chaplin playing the same character, again: The Tramp. How many times does one character deserve to be on the top 250? Luckily this one was only an hour long. Also, the "subtitles", or whatever they are called, are on for too long. Maybe people used to read very slowly?
If you have seen one Chaplin movie, you have seen them all. It is about a poor man who gets himself into some trouble and ends up with money through his antics. I get it. He is supposed to show the people's struggle. When so many of old plays and stories only dealt with the nobles and kings. the new age of movies offered a chance to be more egalitarian, and Chaplin seized this moment; it made him famous.
I reluctantly chuckled a couple times during the movie. So there is that. I will also say that Charlie Chaplin does have a twisted sense of humor. I mean, not compared to today's stuff, but in a lot of ways, I was very surprised.
So how about some fun history stuff? One of the "lines" in the movie Charlie Chaplin says, "Put a quarter in the gas machine." Then the kid put a quarter in a contraption so he could turn on the stove. Is that really how things used to work? You had to put a quarter in a box to turn on the gas for the stove? That's insane. The things I learn from movies. The other history thing also involves gas. Pipes apparently used run through a house with an exposed flame coming out of it to light the house. I saw it on #45 Citizen Kane (1941) as well, but that was a flash back. I wasn't sure how long ago this was really used. I am sure +Leslie Roskovich would've hated living during that era. I don't mean there is a fixture covering the flame. I mean it is a plain ol' exposed flame coming right out of a pipe.
After some more research, I think I watched an abbreviated version. The original might have been 18 minutes longer. That's not enough for me to care.

"The mother—whose sin was motherhood." -"Narrator"

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#45 Citizen Kane (1941)

The first thing I want to point out about this film is that it had such an emotional appeal with the cinematography. There were these quick scenes (which must have been expensive). There was flashes, screams (from a bird), and a general ominous feel to this movie. It is hard to explain, but this movie certainly stands head and shoulders above its peers of the time. The movie is all about trying to find out what Kane's last words, "Rosebud," means. It is also nonlinear, which was apparently an innovation.
The next thing I want to mention is the historical context. In 1941, America was just getting out of the shadows of the Robber Barons. The movie actually goes over a lot of that time period. Without going into too much, the movie was basically about the pursuit of power and if it is all really worth it. There is a point in the movie where Kane tries to use his power to push his opinion on the people. Apparently Kane was based on Hearst, a newspaper magnate. Ironically, when this movie came out, Hearst tried to use his power to kill the movie. This of course confirms that he is the kind of guy.
It is funny that I went from a movie that threatens to call people communist to ruin a political career (Manchurian Candidate), and then I went to this movie where people are threaten as anarchist. I guess today's equivalent might be a terrorist?
Overall, this was an excellent movie. It was done very well. It makes you think; it has a point. I remember watching Family Guy (don't watch if you don't want spoilers) but I couldn't remember the joke, so luckily the movie wasn't ruined. If you haven't seen it, watch it. AFI claims this is the greatest movie of all time.
And the last thing I wanted to say is that the movie starts off in Florida (not Miami, but somewhere on the Gulf coast) at a place called Xanadu. I thought Jesse Roskovich might like that or at least +Leslie Roskovich.

"Rosebud..." -Charles Foster Kane

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Halfway Done

Top 57 (including the original 68 67 makes me at 125, which means I am halfway 124 through)

1. #22 Se7en (1995)-makes me think and is probably the most suspenseful so far
2. #63 The Green Mile (1999)-sad
3. #102 Witness for the Prosecution (1957)-story carries it; best trial movie so far and unfortunately from England
4. #65 A Clockwork Orange (1971)-I generally dislike dystopias that are made awhile ago, and when I was done watching this, I didn't really like it; but something about this movie makes me think
5. #34 Memento (2000)-a movie I would be happy to watch again
6. #55 American Beauty (1999)-this is Spacey at his best
7. #70 To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)-excellent movie
8. #23 Silence of the Lambs (1991)-a prime example of how to write a solid story

9. #114 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)-so far, it is my favorite from the legendary year of 1939; not by much but it holds on
10. #148 The Wizard of Oz (1939)-impressive, colorful, and fun
11. #179 12 Monkeys (1995)-I think this movie suffers because I haven’t seen it twice
12. #201 Anatomy of a Murder (1959)-murder movies can get confusingly similar but this is one of the best
13. #81 Full Metal Jacket (1987)-I feel like I can understand the sacrifice of Vietnam a little better
14. #40 Alien (1979)-they should’ve stopped here
15. #78 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)-very original; thought provoking
16. #131 The Big Lebowski (1998)-not like the others
17. #238 Harvey (1950)-original and is in a category all by itself
18. #6 12 Angry Men (1957)-it’s good but #6? I don’t think so
19. #138 It Happened One Night (1934)-a fun story but still a typical love story
20. #48 The Pianist (2002)-a great story that shouldn’t have taken this long to tell
21. #47 The Shining (1980)-a psychological thriller
22. #194 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)-sorry, I am partial to anything Lord of the Rings
23. #96 The Sting (1973)-this is how Paul Newman should be hustling
24. #165 Dial M for Murder (1954)-not my most or least favorite Hitchcock but it is still good
25. #158 The Grapes of Wrath (1940)-slow but I feel the best display of the Great Depression
26. #202 Manchurian Candidate (1962)-great story but cheesy at times
27. #117 On the Waterfront (1954)-good story but I do feel something is missing
28. #218 Monsters, Inc. (2001)-good, funny story
29. #164 Life of Brian (1979)-pale in comparison to Holy Grail but still good
30. #160 Notorious (1946)-good but the cheesy love stories have got to stop
31. #115 Up (2009)-more emotional than Monsters, Inc. but overall, I think Monster, Inc., was better
32. #26 The Usual Suspects (1995)-good but too easy to figure out
33. #123 Blade Runner (1982)-I think I am a decade or two too late to appreciate this
34. #82 LA Confidential (1997)-I feel like this doesn’t have “staying” power; I need to watch it again
35. #146 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)-beyond the witty banter, the story is shallow
36. #57 Double Indemnity (1944)-suspenseful and fun
37. #191 A Beautiful Mind (2001)-it’s good but can’t necessarily hang with the best
38. #13 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)-It’s good but I don’t know what all the fuss is about
39. #181 Mary and Max (2009)-fun story
40. #226 A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)-shocking but good story
41. #200 Rocky (1976)-just not impressed but everyone loves an underdog
42. #42 North by Northwest (1959)-this is supposed to be Hitchcock’s magnum opus but it feels like a predecessor to the more recent worthless Hollywood blockbuster
43. #44 Django Unchained (2012)-love stories of revenge but overly violent and weak on the story
44. #197 Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)-convoluted but good; feels like A Streetcar Named Desire
45. #38 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb-I’m a couple decades late to the party; not enough Cold War around for me to get into this one
46. #110 For a Few Dollars More (1965)-I think this suffers from me not liking Westerns or movies devoid of a story
47. #221 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)-it’s good but it can’t be compared to the best of time
48. #66 The Great Dictator (1940)-the only Charlie Chaplin movie worth watching
49. #196 The Hustler (1961)-not a great movie
50. #214 Roman Holiday (1953)-gets a serious knock for being a repeat of It Happened One Night
51. #222 IP Man (2008)-too over-the-top for my tastes
52. #88 Some Like It Hot (1959)-not funny and it’s supposed to be a comedy
53. #32 Sunset Blvd. (1950)-Hollywood showing that they are capable of egotistical drivel

54. #58 Aliens (1986)-James Cameron should be happy Charlie Chaplin was a thing
55. #94 2001: A Space Odyssey-Hal 9000 saves this from being below Chaplin
56. #39 City Lights (1931)-I think I laughed once so it is better than Modern Times
57. #43 Modern Times (1936)-I am not a friend of Charlie Chaplin

#202 The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

I have heard of this movie, but I never got around to watching it. The basic idea is that the Chinese/Soviets brainwash a bunch of American troops from Korea. I thought the story was pretty good, but I also thought the devices they used to move the story along were kind of cheesy (I don't want to explain them to avoid any spoilers). The movie was shocking, and I enjoy a movie that can surprise me. Something +Nancy Blackman might like is that one of the characters mentions that Columbus is a great football town. I am not sure how I feel about Frank Sinatra acting, but I don't really know his face, so I guess it didn't annoy me.
Throughout the movie, Abe Lincoln is everywhere and (pictures, statues, and a person dressed up as him) of course this movie is about assassination.
This movie happened one year before JFK's assassination ('63) and, in general, before the other high profile assassinations like MLK ('68), Malcolm X ('65), and Robert Kennedy ('68). I wonder if this movie had any affect on people believing there is a conspiracy behind JFK's assassination? This movie seems to inspire other movies (besides the remake, of course), but Conspiracy Theory definitely comes to mind. Conspiracy Theory even uses Catcher in the Rye, which was found on Jack Ruby. Anyways, I say all of this to point out that the most controversial assassination in American history happened one year after a movie about mind control, conspiracy and assassination. Weird.
This is a good movie to check out. It is probably one I need to rewatch to fully understand it.

"Why don't you pass the time by playing a little solitaire?" -Yen Lo

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