"Sullivan's Travels" (1941)

Rank on the AFI List: #61

WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
Absolutely nothing.  In fact, I first thought it was the story about a 50-foot tall man, but that's "Gulliver's Travels".

LET ME EXPLAIN...
Once I learned that this film was about a film director who goes on a journey to learn what it's like to be "down and out", I was excited.  I thought that sounded like a good premise.  The actual movie, however, wasn't that great.  In fact, if I had to describe it in one word, it would be "lame".

The pace of the movie was annoying because it felt like the story would start, then go back to the beginning, start again, and go back again.  It wasn't until we were already an hour in that the story actually decided to go somewhere.  In essence, I may have been more entertained watching a car engine try to turn over for an hour than "Sullivan's Travels" try to do the same thing.

Then there's the "comedy" of it.  Lame!  It's described as a screwball comedy, and it was so corny that what I can only assume are considered the "funniest" scenes were simply dumb to me.  I mildly laughed only a few times and genuinely thought something was funny twice throughout the whole movie.

And, aside from Veronica Lake, I thought the acting wasn't very good.  Particularly, the lead actor didn't seem to want to venture too far outside his normal demeanor.  And when he did, he seemed uncomfortable.  Like a 1940's version of Kevin Costner.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
Well, it was about Hollywood, which I've noted before is something the AFI really seems to like.  "Sullivan's Travels" is also a dedication to laughter in general (even including a shout-out to everyone who makes people laugh), so the universality of that idea probably helped.  As a film, however, this was absolutely nothing special.  It did not receive any award nominations when it came out.

Complaints:
Lame humor and a story that wouldn't go anywhere until the end.

LET ME SUM UP...
Except for Veronica Lake's performance and the couple times I actually laughed, this film was lame.

MY RATING: 3/10

TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 92

"The General" (1926)

Rank on the AFI List: #18

WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
Absolutely nothing, but I eventually learned it was a silent film, starring Buster Keaton, and another fellow AFI blogger told me it's quite the funny movie.

LET ME EXPLAIN...
This film is described as an Action Comedy, and in my opinion, it's emphasis on the action.  Yes, it was still funny, but the action is what really hooked me.

There are some terrific chase scenes with very impressive stunts.  And, by stunts, I don't mean a green screen (it was 1926, after all), safety wires, etc. in a film studio.  I mean actors running all over actual moving trains out on location.  Even when the comedy was infused into the scenes, it was the action that I liked (check out the video clip below to see one of my favorite parts that really infused comedy with the stunt).

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
After doing some research online, "The General" is not only Buster Keaton's favorite of his own work, but is widely considered one of the greatest classic comedies, and arguably the greatest train film ever made.  The film had a huge budget for its time ($750,000 in 1926) and it paid off with some of the most impressive (and real) action scenes I've seen in a film.  Add to this the fact that the story centers around a major American event (the Civil War), and Buster Keaton is considered one of the greatest film actors in history, and it makes sense why it made the list.

Complaints:
Not a fault of this film, but watching three Charlie Chaplin movies before watching this made it a little difficult to fully appreciate the different style of humor that Buster Keaton brought to film.

LET ME SUM UP...
Good silent-era action-comedy film.  The humor is entertaining, but the action sequences were what I really loved about "The General".  This is definitely worth checking out at least once in your life.

MY RATING: 7.5/10

TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 91

"Raging Bull" (1980)

Rank on the AFI List: #4

WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
1. It stars Robert De Niro.
2. It was directed by Martin Scorsese.
3. It's based on a true story about a self-destructive boxer.

LET ME EXPLAIN...
Considered the 4th greatest film in American history, the storyline itself was a bit peculiar.  What I mean is, I expected this movie to either be centered around historically significant events or people, or to hold some sort of universal moral about life.  Neither the story nor any of the characters really conveyed any of this.

Instead, I watched a movie about a boxer I had never heard of with such self-destructive tendencies that this was by no means a fun experience.  It was gritty and real in such a way that I wanted this to be a purely fictional story.

However, from a film-making standpoint, "Raging Bull" is incredible.  Which leads right into the next section...

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
This is an incredibly well-made film.  In fact, "Raging Bull" kept reminding me of "Citizen Kane" with its technical style.  Everything about how it was put together seemed deliberate, stylish, and sharp.  My wife also commented afterward that the contrast between the black and the white added a sense of glitziness, which added some appropriate contradiction to the mood of the story itself.  It was nominated for 8 Academy Awards, winning two (Best Actor - Robert De Niro, and Best Film Editing).

Complaints
Along with the awkward-and-seemingly-unnecessary sexual scene in the first half, I could not buy the fact that Vickie was supposed to be 15 years old at first.  I don't care if the actress was only 20 years old when this was filmed.  She looked and talked like she was pushing 30, and I could not get around that in any of the scenes with her as a teenager.

LET ME SUM UP...
Not a wonderful story, but technically speaking, this is an incredibly well-made biopic film.  As a movie-watching experience, I'd rate this only 5/10, but I have to give it some major points for how well it was put together.

MY RATING: 8/10

TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 90

"City Lights" (1931)

Rank on the AFI List: #11

WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
1) It stars Charlie Chaplin.
2) According to AFI, it's the #1 greatest romantic comedy ever.

LET ME EXPLAIN...
Once I watched The Gold Rush and learned I was a Charlie Chaplin fan, I've been looking forward to seeing "City Lights".  Not only is it the highest rated Chaplin film on the AFI List, but the American Film Institute also says it's the greatest romantic comedy ever.  Needless to say, there was quite a bit of hype going into this, and my wife and I were both excited to finally watch it.

Unfortunately, that hype made this film a bit of a disappointment to both of us.  Unlike "The Gold Rush" and Modern Times, there was no particular scene or gag that really stood out to me (the shot gun struggle, the dinner rolls, and the cabin in "The Gold Rush", and the feeding machine in "Modern Times" were all terrific).  Yes, the suicide attempts and the boxing scenes were funny, but I laughed more during his other movies.

I was also expecting more in the end upon first viewing.  It's definitely a romantic story throughout the film, but as a first watch, I felt underwhelmed at how it ended.  HOWEVER, during my search for a video clip to add to this post, I found the final scene on YouTube and watched it again.  With the hype no longer there, I have to admit that the ending IS extremely good (particularly the subtleties in the acting) and really "makes" the whole story.  By simply watching the ending one more time, I've bumped the entire movie up from a Kind of Liked It rating to a Liked It.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
I pretty much just talked about it, but the story is about as sweet and beautiful as it gets.

Complaints
Again, there was no one particular scene or moment that really stood out to me as hilarious, which was a little disappointing.

LET ME SUM UP...
The #1 romantic comedy in American film history, according to AFI.  It wasn't the funniest Chaplin film, but it's definitely a very sweet and romantic story. 

MY RATING: 6/10

TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 89

"The Wild Bunch" (1969)

Rank on the AFI List: #79

WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
Only that it's a Western and stars William Holden.

LET ME EXPLAIN...
Finally!  After a horrendous streak of watching 9 consecutive films on the AFI List for the first time and not liking ANY of them (and in several cases hating them), "The Wild Bunch" ended up actually being good (pardon my excitement, but after such garbage as Duck Soup, A Clockwork Orange, and The Last Picture Show, I was getting very worried that all the remaining films on the list would be disappointments).

"The Wild Bunch" is a great film.  It's intense, a bit graphic, and it has an interesting story.  Coincidentally, part of the plot reminded me of The Bridge on the River Kwai, which also stars William Holden (an actor whom, had I not bothered with this Quest, I wouldn't even know about but is now one of my favorite actors).

(Side note: I'm quite certain that the makers of Three Amigos were greatly influenced by this movie.  There are a LOT of similarities, even though one is a serious, epic drama and the other is a comedic spoof.)

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
For one thing, "The Wild Bunch" really seemed to be more than just a Western.  In fact, I'd classify it as an epic Western.  It almost felt like I just got done watching Lord of the Rings because the story and adventure seemed so "big".  In addition, it had some great action sequences and was very well acted.  I also think its storyline about aging at a time the world is transitioning into a new era has a universal element that many can relate to (e.g. getting older, the world passing you by, etc.).  It received 2 Academy Award nominations (Best Musical Score and Best Original Screenplay), and I'm surprised it wasn't at least nominated for Best Picture, Best Sound, and Best Director.

Complaints
For being made in 1969, it sure seems like one of the goals of this film was to shock the audience with its graphic nature.  And while I feel the violence did add to the overall atmosphere, the nudity was gratuitous and unnecessary (there were quite a few topless women, and I'm not just talking about the shot that opens with a close zoom in of a baby breastfeeding).

LET ME SUM UP...
An intense, graphic, and epic Western, "The Wild Bunch" is an interesting look at America at a time when the Old West started to morph into the Industrial Age.  I liked this one quite a bit.

MY RATING: 8/10

TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 88