Sunday, July 26, 2015

NEW BBC POLL DISSES SOME OF OSCARS BEST PICTURES AND NOMINATIONS
by Janet Lawler 

This week the BBC conducted a new poll asking what are the 100 greatest American films. You might be surprised and shocked that many Oscar winners for Best Picture and Nominations didn't make the cut. The Deer Hunter?  Nope. Sorry.

Which movies are your favorites?  I've highlighted my picks. These movies impacted my life.  Probably did yours too.  Certain movies stick with you for a lifetime or remind us where we were when we first saw them.  I'm sure your list will be different than mine, but that's because different stories speak to different audiences.  Maybe you're a Billy Wilder fan, or a Alfred Hitchcock aficionado, or a lover of Sci-Fi.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
 But, seriously, how could they leave The Sound of Music off this list?

The 100 greatest American film

100. Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951)
99. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)
98. Heaven’s Gate (Michael Cimino, 1980)
97. Gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)
96. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
95. Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933)
94. 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002)
93. Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese, 1973)
92. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955)
91. ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
90. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
89. In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950)
88. West Side Story (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, 1961)
87. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
86. The Lion King (Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, 1994)
85. Night of the Living Dead (George A Romero, 1968)  This movie terrified me as a kid!
84. Deliverance (John Boorman, 1972)
83. Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938)
82. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
81. Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991)
80. Meet Me in St Louis (Vincente Minnelli, 1944)
79. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
78. Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
77. Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939)
76. The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)
75. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
74. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)
73. Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)   Sidney Lumet is one of my favorite directors.
72. The Shanghai Gesture (Josef von Sternberg, 1941)
71. Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)
70. The Band Wagon (Vincente Minnelli, 1953)
69. Koyaanisqatsi (Godfrey Reggio, 1982)
68. Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946)
67. Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin, 1936)
66. Red River (Howard Hawks, 1948)
65. The Right Stuff (Philip Kaufman, 1983)
64. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)
63. Love Streams (John Cassavetes, 1984)
62. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
61. Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
60. Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
59. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Miloš Forman, 1975)
58. The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)
57. Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989)
56. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
55. The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)   Mrs. Robinson... you know the rest.
54. Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)
53. Grey Gardens (Albert and David Maysles, Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, 1975)  Can't turn away.
52. The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)
51. Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)
50. His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)  LOVE Rosalind Russell!
49. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)
48. A Place in the Sun (George Stevens, 1951)
47. Marnie (Alfred Hitchcock, 1964)
46. It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)   Speaks to my soul!
45. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford, 1962) John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and a spectacular Lee Marvin as the meaner than mean Liberty Valance.  Rent it!
44. Sherlock Jr (Buster Keaton, 1924)
43. Letter from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophüls, 1948)
42. Dr Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
41. Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)
40. Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, 1943)
39. The Birth of a Nation (DW Griffith, 1915)
38. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)  Changed the movie business and summer movies. Love it!
37. Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959)
36. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)   What can be said that hasn't already?  Theme song still gives us chills.
35. Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)
34. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)  Come here, my pretty!
33. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)  Now that's a thriller.
32. The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941)
31. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
30. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)  "Well, nobody's perfect."  Amen to that!
29. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980) 
28. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) Had me scratching my head the first time I saw it, but then I came to admire every aspect of this film.
27. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)
26. Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett, 1978)
25. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)  Unfortunately, still relevant for our times.
24. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)  Shirley MacLaine stole hearts.
23. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)   Ah, New York.
22. Greed (Erich von Stroheim, 1924)
21. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
20. Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)    "I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh."
19. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)  "You talkin' to... " you know the rest.
18. City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931)
17. The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
16. McCabe & Mrs Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)
15. The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)
14. Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
13. North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
12. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)  Screenwriter's bible
11. The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
10. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)   "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." Michael Corleone
9. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
8. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)   Still makes me shower with one eye open!
7. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952)
6. Sunrise (FW Murnau, 1927)
5. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
3. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
2. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) "It's not personal, Sonny, it's strictly business."
Don Corleone: Tell me, do you spend time with your family?
Johnny Fontane: Sure I do.
Don Corleone: Good. Because a man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.
1. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)

Until next time. 

You can follow The NY Screenwriting Life on Facebook.  Janet Lawler's debut novel From the Ground Up is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F3CYSU8

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