"The Searchers" (1956)

Rank on the AFI List: #12

WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
1) It's a Western.
2) It stars John Wayne.
3) It's about a cowboy who goes searching for his kidnapped niece.

LET ME EXPLAIN...
Most Westerns on the AFI List have been terrific.  I had never seen a John Wayne movie before but was of course aware of his legend.  AND, "The Searchers" is very high up on the list.  All these together = I was excited to finally watch this film.

Surprisingly, this ended up being a bit of a letdown.  With the exception of the amazing scenery, most of the cinematography, and most of the story being somewhat interesting, "The Searchers" ended up being a shallow movie.  There was no character development at all, and it was filled with racial stereotypes.  The story also seemed to jump at times without giving any explanation as to what just happened, why something happened, or why a character just did something out of the ordinary.  All together, this was mediocre.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
Well, I can understand movie icon John Wayne would need to be represented on the List, so this is probably the best known or most acclaimed film he was in?  It's also very beautifully shot with amazing scenic views throughout.  I just don't get why this is so high on the AFI List.  I thought Unforgiven, Shane, and The Wild Bunch were all much better Westerns.  "The Searchers" did not receive any Academy Award nominations when it came out.  I'm only surprised that it didn't at least get nominated for Best Cinematography.

Complaints:
1) The film editing.  This did not seem to be put together very well.
2) Some strange characters: Mose and Charlie in particular.
3) One of the oddest fight scenes I've ever seen (was it supposed to be funny, or......?).
4) An apparent camera adjustment in the middle of one particular shot (was the camera guy off when he began recording the scene or something??  This was really odd).

LET ME SUM UP...
In one word, this movie is peculiar.  Some odd editing, characters, and scenes made this a bit disappointing, although I was engaged in the story (for the most part) and enjoyed finally watching a John Wayne film.

MY RATING: 5/10

TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 97

"Midnight Cowboy" (1969)

Rank on the AFI List: #43

WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
Only 2 things, and they have nothing to do with the story:
1) It stars Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman.
2) It has the famous line, "Hey!  I'm walking here!  I'm walking here!"

LET ME EXPLAIN...
So I went into this one having not read the synopsis, and I don't know which is better: not knowing what kind of trash you're about to watch, or knowing ahead of time that the story was going to be dirty.  I guess I prefer not knowing so I can at least give it a chance.

Why is "Midnight Cowboy" dirty?  For starters, it's about a Texan who moves to New York to become a male prostitute.  Second, this was originally an X-rated movie when it came out in 1969.  And on top of all that, I'm convinced the filmmakers had to be on drugs because a lot of the scenes were bizarre and trippy.  I hated this movie.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
It dared to go where no movie had gone before in terms of sex, homosexuality, and male prostitution, and apparently its cinematography and editing were groundbreaking at the time.  Whatever.  It was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, winning 3 of them (Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay), so apparently I really missed something.

Complaints Compliments:
Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman both did a great job in their roles, at least.

LET ME SUM UP...
The only thing that prevented me from giving this movie a 1/10 rating was the acting of Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman.  Everything else made this horrible to sit through.

MY RATING: 2/10

TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 96

"Taxi Driver" (1976)

Rank on the AFI List: #52

WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
1) It stars Robert De Niro
2) It was directed by Martin Scorsese
3) It has the famous line, "Are you talkin' to me?"

LET ME EXPLAIN...
Being as this is a Scorsese film, I pretty much knew two things before it started: 1) it'll be a very well-made movie, and 2) it's not going to be a feel-good type of story.  I was correct on both accounts.

Scorsese is a great filmmaker, represented on the AFI List two other times with Raging Bull and Goodfellas.  "Taxi Driver" is considered to be his first masterpiece, and while it was certainly well made, it also felt a bit experimental.  Sort of like when you have a favorite, established musical group or singer, and you go back and listen to their first album.  It's still good, but you can tell they've matured since then and sharpened their skills.

As for the story, it wasn't "feel good", as I stated above (just look at the cover for it), and it didn't really hold any sort of redeeming or entertaining value to me.  You're just witnessing a Vietnam vet slowly boil into a violent eruption as he spends hours and hours driving a taxi around wretched neighborhoods.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
It's technically a well-made film, and Scorsese ranks as one of the best filmmakers in history.  With this being his first "masterpiece", it stands to reason that he introduced some new elements and brought his unique style to American film in "Taxi Driver".  It was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture.

Complaints:
Sub-stories seemed to only fit into certain chunks of the film, and there wasn't a whole lot of connection other than the main character just deciding to go here one day, care about that on another day, etc. 

LET ME SUM UP...
A pretty good film, technically speaking.  But the story didn't seem tied together all that well.  Definitely my least favorite of the Scorsese films I've watched.

MY RATING: 3/10

TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 95

(This is the only video clip I could find that didn't have profanity in it.)

"M*A*S*H" (1970)

Rank on the AFI List: #54

WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
It's about a medical unit during the Korean War.  One of the most successful TV programs in history was spun off from this movie.

LET ME EXPLAIN...
I never watched the TV show, but I was still looking forward to this one.  I thought it would have some humor in it, but I honestly didn't know if the movie was more of a drama or a comedy.  In the end, the film is more like Easy Rider.

How so?  Well, it had no real storyline.  It was very anti-establishment.  And my wife and I just didn't really like it.

While there were some parts I thought were pretty funny, all of the humor and hi-jinks were tasteless, and some scenes just didn't make sense.  Overall, this movie was a disappointment.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
According to the "Backstory" special feature on the DVD, "M*A*S*H" wasn't just anti-establishment to war and authority, but to Hollywood itself.  It was turned down by many in Hollywood before it finally got green-lighted, and it portrayed war and the US military in a way never done before.  Combine this unconventional approach with its setting in a historical war, and I can see why it's on the AFI List.  It was nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture, winning for Best Writing (despite the fact that the cast admits it didn't really stick to the script very much).

Complaints Compliments:
Rather than give a complaint about the movie in general, I thought I'd try something different and mention the couple things I liked.
1. Elliott Gould was really good as Trapper.
2. It was pretty cool seeing so many famous actors in one film at a point where they were all really young and relative unknowns.  Kudos to the casting director.

LET ME SUM UP...
Aimless "story" of doctors in a mobile medical unit during the Korean War.  It reminded me a lot of Easy Rider, though not nearly as painful to sit through.  Tasteless humor, though some parts were pretty funny.

MY RATING: 4/10

TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 94

"Bringing Up Baby" (1938)

Rank on the AFI List: #88

WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
Nothing at first, but then I learned it's a comedy involving a leopard and dinosaur bones...or something.

LET ME EXPLAIN...
I have to admit that, despite this movie starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, I was expecting to not really like it.  First of all, it's a comedy, and comedies have been very hit-or-miss (mostly "miss") on the AFI List.  AND, it's ranked near the bottom of the list.

Fortunately, "Bringing Up Baby" turned out to be one of my favorite comedies in the Top 100.

It's very slapstick and quick-witted, and I particularly liked that Hepburn wasn't the elitist I was used to seeing her play in other films.  Instead, she plays a "flutter-brained vixen" without a hint of self-awareness, and I thought she played the role great.

The best part about this movie are all the great one-liners.  I'd watch this again with a pen and paper to write down all the great quotes.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
While I like this movie quite a bit, I don't have a real good answer to this question.  I just think it's a great film that consistently brings hilarious quotes, scenes, and physical comedy throughout.  I'm also inclined to say it is one of those great classic comedies that gets better as it gets older.  It was panned when it came out but has eventually become what many consider to be one of the greatest comedies ever made.

Complaints?
No big complaints, really.  This is a good all-around movie.

LET ME SUM UP...
Very funny slapstick, quick-wit movie that stars two of film history's greatest actors.

MY RATING: 7.5/10

TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 93