My 150 Favorite Movies - #82

Reservoir Dogs (1992)
 
Quentin Tarantino's first feature film put him squarely on the map of filmmakers to watch. This absolutely mesmerizing film  is both horrifically violent, and hysterically funny, making for a vastly entertaining film experience. Starring a colorful cast of well-known character actors, including Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Harvey Keitel, the story is of a heist job gone horribly wrong. Watch it, but be forewarned, this movie is not for the squeamish!

My 150 Favorite Movies - #83

Diva (1981)

Jean-Jacques Beineix directed his first feature film Diva, and broke new ground by incorporating elements of the French new wave cinema in the jigsaw puzzle plot involving stolen goods, corrupt police officials, motorcycle chases and grand opera, in one delicious package. Initially obscure, this incredibly stylish thriller grew by word-of-mouth into a huge international success.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #84

North by Northwest (1959)

This thrilling Hitchcock classic contains what may be one of the two or three topmost iconic scenes in all of American cinema - that of Cary Grant being chased by a cropdusting plane along a desolate stretch of highway. The rest of the movie is equally high-charged and suspenseful, with a major case of mistaken identity featuring Grant; James Mason as a very suave villain, Eva Marie Saint bringing up the rear as a very sexy femme fatale, and a climactic chase scene featuring the national monument,  Mount Rushmore.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #85

My Brilliant Career (1979)

This lovely little bauble of a  movie, based on the novel of the same name by Miles Franklin, marked one of  the first appearances on film of one of the screen's most enduring actresses, Judy Davis. Playing a single-minded young woman bent on having a career as a writer in 19th century Australia, Davis won the BAFTA award twice, for Best  Newcomer, and Best Actress. Gillian Armstrong directed, and Sam Neill also stars, as Davis's erstwhile love interest. Well worth seeking out for the effervescent lead performance as well as the poignant and involving way this story was captured on film.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #86

Gidget (1959)

It's true - I love Gidget!  Before all the "Beach Blanket Bingo" movies that this film spawned, and the television show of the same name, which made a star out of a very young Sally Field, and all the filmed sequels, there was a book by Frederick Kohner, a novelist, who wrote about the exploits of his daughter and the surf culture in southern California in the 1950's. Sandra Dee brings her vivaciously to life, with such deathless dialogue as "honest to goodness, it's the absolute ultimate." Along for the ride are such newly entrenched iconic figures as "Moondoggie," (James Darren) and "the Big Kahuna" (Cliff Robertson).

My 150 Favorite Movies - #87

Groundhog Day (1993)

In this absolutely brilliant existential comedy directed by the late, great Harold Ramis, Bill Murray plays a grumpy TV weatherman, who keeps waking up to find he's in a time loop, experiencing the same day, again and again. The phrase "Groundhog Day," as referring to a time loop, has since been adopted into the lexicon, for instance, soldiers referring to a tour of duty in Iraq.  Desson Howe of The Washington Post noted that even though the film is a good Bill Murray vehicle, "'Groundhog' will never be designated a national film treasure by the Library of Congress". The film was selected by the National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress in 2006.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #88

Angels and Insects (1995)

Based on a novel by A.S. Byatt, a naturalist marries into the upper class in 19th century Great Britain. Contrasting the main character's love of insects, with the family dynamic, proves to be very interesting in this underrated drama. Starring the excellent Mark Rylance, the luminescent Patsy Kensit, and the incandescent Kristin Scott Thomas.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #89

Broadcast News (1987)

James L. Brooks, who directed Terms of Endearment, and As Good as it Gets, and created such obscure television fare as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Simpsons, Taxi, et. al., wrote and directed Broadcast News, an incredibly funny, endearing and moving story about the news business, what it means to deal with integrity, and also about life, and (of course), love. Starring Holly Hunter (who's never been better IMHO), William Hurt, and Albert Brooks, click here for the trailer.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #90

Darling (1965)

London in the sixties never looked more swingin' than in Darling. Julie Christie stars as a ruthless model who uses people to get ahead, primarily men. Also starring Dirk Bogarde, and Laurence Harvey, and directed by acclaimed British director John Schlesinger, Christie won a slew of awards from a number of illustrious outlets for her outstanding performance in the lead role; including the New York Society of Film Critics, the National Board of Reviews, the BAFTA,
and the Academy Award.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #91

Rififi (1955)

Jules Dassin was blacklisted from Hollywood when he received an offer to direct a small French film, Rififi, based on a novel by Auguste Le Breton. Using no stars, and minimal budget, he created a classic of French film noir.  The 30-minute heist that is the centerpiece of the film was filmed using only ambient sound, and proved very influential, not only to other filmmakers, but also to real-life criminals, who used the plan for crimes of their own. Dassin won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival that year, and the film won Best Foreign Film by the National Board of Review.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #92

Hans Christian Anderson (1952)

Starring the uber-talented Danny Kaye, Hans Christian Anderson happens to be one of those magical movies, that when seen again as an adult, takes you right back to childhood. The biography part is complete fabrication, but the film weaves a wonderful spell, retelling some of the stories, along with an original Frank Loesser score, including the classics Thumbelina, No Two People, Anywhere I Wander, and The King's New Clothes. Wonderful, wonderful (Copenhagen)!

My 150 Favorite Movies - #93

The Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Starring Burt Lancaster as powerful Broadway columnist, J.J. Hunsecker (reportedly based on Walter Winchell), and Tony Curtis as a press agent and Hunsecker's lackey, The Sweet Smell of Success is one of the most memorable movies about New York ever made. Containing bits of dialogue, such as: "I'd hate to take a bite outta you. You're a cookie full of arsenic," it happens that the rest of the screenplay is equally as brilliant, written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman, and director Alexander Mackendrick, from Lehman's novella. Andrew Sarris, writing in The New York Observer, "the main incentive to see this movie is its witty, pungent and idiomatic dialogue, such as you never hear on the screen anymore in this age of special-effects illiteracy."