"E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982) - RE-WATCH

Rank on the AFI List: #24

Synopsis (according to AFI)
An extra-terrestrial is accidentally left behind on Earth and is befriended by a young boy and his brother and sister. As Elliot attempts to help his extra-terrestrial companion contact his home planet so that he might be rescued, the children must elude scientists and government agents determined to apprehend the alien for their own purposes...which results in an adventure greater than any of them could have imagined.... 

LET ME EXPLAIN...
This movie has never been near and dear to my heart like it seems to be with so many people (especially with the AFI, who rank this quite high at #24 of all time).  Watching it as a kid, I remember being more bored than excited, and the atmosphere of the film was more creepy than magical.  Having said that, I was legitimately excited to watch "E.T." again as an adult to see what would change for me.

Well, I still don't really like the atmosphere.  All the fog and haze through the first part of the movie bothers me a lot for some reason.  Then in the second half, when the government sets up the biohazard area inside the home, that still is pretty freaky and uncomfortable.  However, I think the government scientists get undeservedly characterized as bad guys here, when no real sinister or cold motives are every actually presented in the film.  They even have the heart to leave Elliott alone with E.T. to say goodbye and deal with his grief.  But hey, it's an 80's children's movie, so NO adults can be trusted, right?  The movie even dehumanizes adults a bit in its cinematography, as you don't see any of their faces (except for Elliott's mom) until the second half of the film (thanks to my wonderful wife for pointing that out to me).

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
Good question, since I don't think this is a very well-done movie.  Granted, it's a children's movie, so explaining certain plot points, or connecting the story in a way that makes sense to the viewer, isn't as crucial, but come on, if you're supposed to be the 24th best American film ever made, I would think that kind of stuff would be prerequisites.  Having said that, I'll suppose this is in the Top 100 because it was the first real, live-action, children's fantasy movie; a boy gets an alien for a buddy and can fly through the air on his bicycle?  I'll admit I would love that if I was still 10 years old.  "E.T." was nominated for 9 Academy Awards, winning 4 of them: Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Music.

Complaints?
I already touched on this above, but seriously, several plot points never get addressed, explained, or paid much attention to.  And it's not like explaining them would ruin the magic of the story.  They'd actually help make the story more clear.  Oh well.

LET ME SUM UP...
The original live-action children's fantasy movie.  It lacks in cohesive storytelling and continues to leave me a bit bored, but it's not terrible to sit through.

MY RATING: 5/10 (No change from my previous rating)

"High Noon" (1952)

Rank on the AFI List: #27

WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
1. It's a western starring Gary Cooper.
2. It's about a guy looking for people in a small town to help him in an impending gun fight with outlaws.

LET ME EXPLAIN...
I had been looking forward to watching this one for a while.  In fact, for some reason, as I got closer to completing this bucket list item, I decided that "High Noon" would be the final "new" film I'd see.  I thought it was a safe bet that I'd like the movie and feel good about ending the AFI list quest on a high note (as opposed to say, any of these films).

Well, I did end up enjoying this movie.  I wouldn't say I loved it, but it had some great things going for it: Gary Cooper's acting, a simple yet compelling story that really made me feel for the main character, and the ultimate use of time as a tension-builder.  In fact, except for a couple edits, this movie moves in real time, which was a pleasant surprise once I noticed it (I wonder if the creators of 24 got their inspiration from this movie).  That really built the tension for me, sort of like a giant wave coming right at you from miles away - it's a steadily-moving doom that's impossible to escape or ignore.  It made the shots of the empty train station and tracks ominous, too - you don't see anything coming, but you know it's only a matter of time.

However, once the climactic ending finally arrived, I felt a bit underwhelmed, though I think that's probably because of all the other movies I have seen that have huge, explosive endings with crazy twists in the action (there is a twist in this one, but it's presented so mildly that you might not even notice it).  For its time, I'd say this was probably a great ending.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
It's a classic western with a story that's extremely simple, but with so much subtext it leaves you thinking about virtue, courage, cowardice, and standing up for what's right (it did for me, at least).  It was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, winning 4 of them (Best Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Song, and Best Music).  For the record, the award-winning song seemed a bit strange and lame in the beginning, but its use throughout the movie, and how the lyrics align with the story, made this one of the most appropriate Oscar-winning songs ever, in my opinion.  Too many songs win when they are only played during the closing credits, and they're over-produced and homogenized - like "Into the West" from Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Complaints
The few times they edited scenes in such a way that it ceased to be truly in real-time, and the underwhelming ending.

LET ME SUM UP...
Classic western with a simple story that makes you want to be there for Gary Cooper's character.  A great tension-builder that falls a little flat in the end, but overall a very good movie.

MY RATING: 7/10

TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 100!!!

"Lawrence of Arabia" (1962)

Rank on the AFI List: #7

WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
1. It stars Peter O'Toole
2. It's based on a true story
3. The sweeping desert shots are so breathtaking that this is deemed a movie that "must be seen on a big screen."

LET ME EXPLAIN...
I've been stuck at 98 films on this list for quite a long time (over a year, I believe), and #3 above is the main reason why. I wanted to wait and see this film on a big screen - at least bigger than our modest TV at home. And I wanted to make "High Noon" the last film I see on this list (don't ask me why because I don't really know). But alas, with my first baby due in less than 2 weeks, my wife and I decided it might be good to finish off the Top 100 before we're engrossed with caring for a newborn. All that said, I ended up finally watching "Lawrence of Arabia"...on our modest TV at home.

This was a peculiar film. The 1st half was a whole lot of wandering through the desert, and the 2nd half had the story move along quite a bit. However, I found the 1st half to be more interesting and enjoyable, with the 2nd half confusing and disappointing. There was so much in this movie that didn't make sense to me, including motives and natural progressions in the plot, that I didn't really know where the story was going, and I didn't really care. I think I must have missed a lot in the dialogue that I got lost, because I can't figure out how in the world this ranks as a Top 10 film.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?

Breathtaking scenery, good acting, and an epic production are what I can think of, but it's not put together that great (for one thing, my wife and I both felt the opening scene should have been the final scene of the film, to improve both the story-telling as well as adding suspense to the action sequences).  However, it was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning 7 of them, including Best Picture, so what do I know?

Complaints:

1. Lawrence was a strange guy that I never felt I knew, even after watching him for almost 4 hours.  He's odd, soft-spoken, flamboyant, narcissistic at times, and his conflicting loyalties didn't help me understand him any better.
2. The scene when Lawrence meets the Turk leader guy after being apprehended is one of the most awkward scenes I've ever seen in a movie.
3. The ending is quite a whimper.  With an epic ranked at #7, I expected this to go out with a bang.  Either I missed some underlying "bang" at the end, or this movie really putters out.

LET ME SUM UP...

Strange main character, difficult-to-follow storytelling, and a weak ending combine with good acting and sweeping desert shots to make this a film I'm glad I finally watched, but I didn't really enjoy it like I thought I would.

MY RATING: 5/10

TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 99

"12 Angry Men" (1957) - RE-WATCH

Rank on the AFI List: #87

Synopsis (according to imdb.com)
A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court.

(The trailer I found on YouTube - embedded below - is a pretty good modern-day-style video.  Check it out!)

LET ME EXPLAIN...
I absolutely love this movie.  It's in my Top 3 of all time.  It's one of the most well-acted movies by the entire cast I think there is.  Its attention to detail (in the storytelling, character subtleties, interactions, etc.) is incredibly impressive.  And I find it amazing that a film can provide so much background for so many different characters in such little time and space.

Speaking of "so many different characters", this is a great melting pot of personalities.  In just 12 people, you have a sports fanatic, a businessman, a slumdog, an intellectual, an everyday joe, a racist, a blue collar worker, an elderly man, an immigrant, an angry old man, an upbeat, and a voice of reason.  All forced to sit down together, discuss a case, and come to a consensus.  A great look into American culture, both then and now.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
Great acting.  Great storytelling.  Great cinematography for being set in one room.  IMDB.com rankings have this (as I'm writing this post, at least) as the #6 film of all time, so I'm not the only average joe who thinks this movie is one of the best.  It was nominated for 3 Academy Awards - Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture (losing out to The Bridge on the River Kwai in every category).

Complaints
1. This movie didn't even make it onto AFI's first Top 100 list, in 1997 (!!!).
2. When it finally made it onto the list in 2007, it's way down at #87 (!!!!!!!).
3. It's ranked lower on the list than Titanic (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

LET ME SUM UP...
One of the best films ever made.  It's a very simple story, but with great characters and character development.  I get just as excited (if not moreso) when I'm about to sit down and watch this as I do when I'm about to watch The Dark Knight (which, if you know me, is saying a lot).  A must-see.

MY RATING: 10/10 (No change from my previous rating)

"Titanic" (1997) - PREVIOUS VIEWING

Rank on the AFI List: #83

Synopsis (according to imdb.com)
Fictional romantic tale of a rich girl and poor boy who meet on the ill-fated voyage of the 'unsinkable' ship. 

Note: It's been so long since I've seen this that I probably should watch it again, but I just don't want to...deal with it.

LET ME EXPLAIN...
The love story?  Too contrived.  DiCaprio's acting?  Not very good.  However, this is a fairly good historical portrayal of a devastating event, and the actual ship sinking is pretty impressive.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
It's centered around a major historic event.  It was crazy expensive to make at the time, as they made a smaller version of the whole freakin' ship.  It reigned as the #1 box office success in film history until Avatar.  And James Cameron, love him or hate him, knows how to create an uber-successful movie.  It won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Complaints:
I'm at least glad Leonardo DiCaprio didn't even get nominated for Best Actor, as his performance is probably the most annoying thing about this movie to me.

LET ME SUM UP...
Typical Hollywood-esque ill-fated romance, but with impressive effects once the ship starts sinking.

MY RATING: 5/10

"Forrest Gump" (1994) - RE-WATCH

Rank on the AFI List: #76

Synopsis (according to imdb.com)
Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny, eludes him.

LET ME EXPLAIN...
For some reason, this film tends to be fairly polarizing.  I know people who absolutely love this movie.  I also know just as many people who loathe it.  Not sure why it's so divisive, but I'm happy to say that I belong in the "I love it" boat.

"Forrest Gump" is a heartwarming film, filled with great humor, thoughtful themes on life and death, and historical moments.  It's almost like being guided through a tour of late 20th century history by a loving, cheerful child.  It's a unique perspective from someone who's very easy to care about.

In that same vein, for taking place during such a complicated time in American history, I'm extremely impressed at the film's ability to illustrate how a true innocent managed to experience all that Forrest Gump did and sincerely remain just as innocent in the end.  It's a refreshing thought that a person could actually maintain a child-like heart that doesn't know any better than to be honest, loving, and selfless no matter what they're facing.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
"Forrest Gump" is sort of a hybrid of both emotions and American history, which I think is a major factor.  It's a love story, a drama, a comedy, an adventure flick, a war movie, a history lesson, a coming-of-age story, and a biopic (even if it's of a fictional character).  On top of that, it's a very well-made film with top-notch acting, direction, music, and overall production.  "Forrest Gump" was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, winning 6 of them for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, and Visual Effects (how exactly DID they remove Gary Sinise's legs back in 1994??  I've always wondered that...).

Complaints:
I've been sitting here for about 5 minutes trying to think of anything specific I didn't really like about this movie, and I just can't think of anything.

LET ME SUM UP...
Great, great movie about a simpleton who lives life to the fullest.  An all-around terrific story that's fun, dramatic, inspiring, and full of heart.

MY RATING: 9/10 (1.0 higher from my previous rating)

"Wizard of Oz" (1939) - RE-WATCH

Rank on the AFI List: #10

Synopsis (according to imdb.com, as if you need one)
Dorothy Gale is swept away to a magical land in a tornado and embarks on a quest to see the Wizard who can help her return home.

LET ME EXPLAIN...
Really, though, what's there to explain?  Everybody knows this movie, the story, the lines, the songs, and the characters.  It may not have much in character development or real depth, but it's a family movie about imagination, a magical land, and the message that "there's no place like home."  It's not trying to be Chinatown or On the Waterfront, so I can't fault it for not trying to be something it's not.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
Quite simply, it's the most iconic film ever made.  I can't think of any other movie that has permeated pop culture as much as "Wizard of Oz".  It also had wonderful art direction, though that Academy award went to Gone with the Wind.  All in all, though, it received 6 Oscar nominations, winning 2, for Best Song and Best Score.

Complaints:
They spend way too much time in munchkin land.  And while I said earlier that I can't fault this movie for not having much character development or depth, those are two things I really appreciate in a film.

LET ME SUM UP...
Cute and well-made family film that has no equal when it comes to its influence on popular culture.

MY RATING: 6/10