Yet Another Top Ten List...

There is nothing more meaningless than making up 'Top Ten' lists. However, it can be quite a bit of fun, so without further ado, my 'Top Ten' movies of all time.

1. CITIZEN KANE

I first saw this movie when I was 16, late one Saturday night on television. I thought it was awesome and talked about how great it was for days. Only three years later, when I was finally able to see the movie again, did I learn it was considered such a classic.


2. ALL ABOUT EVE

It was hard to decide which one should be second, but I chose this one. This is the best and strongest illustration of what "show biz" is really like. It also features some fantastic snappy dialog, a cameo by Marilyn Monroe and arguably Bette Davis' greatest role ever.


3. DUCK SOUP

A good list should mix it up a little from node to node. So given how the first two speak of obsession and futility, I thought this classic was well placed at third. This film is the standard bearer for farcical comedy on film. This is proven by Groucho Marx's superb timing and delivery, to the ridiculous musical numbers, to the physical comedy routines that have been lifted and borrowed so many times in tribute to it.


4. THE TRIAL

Orson Welles makes it twice to my list and why not? This movie is not well liked and is probably the first controversial pick on my list. It's generally disliked because it takes Kafka's novel and changes both the tone and theme quite liberally. I thought the end result was stunning and so apparently did Mr. Welles, he was once quoted as saying "Say what you like, but THE TRIAL is the best film I ever made".


5. THE SEVENTH SEAL

I find a lot of discussion and reviews of this film so cerebral that I don't understand what they are saying. The film itself however, is riveting. I am not an academic, I'm just a slob with an opinion. My opinion of this film is that it is best examination of mortality, religion and the question of God, ever put to film.


6. BRAZIL

I could not devise a list like this and not pay homage to Terry Gilliam. This could easily have been one of Terry's other wonderful films. I chose this one, because it was the first of his that I really began to realize how much his films mean to me. Not just thematically (where they are strong), but also just from the perspective of sitting back and enjoying a wonderful story unfold on the screen.


7. ROPE

Similar to the last entry, this is more about Hitchcock as whole than anything. However of all his work, this is my favorite. It's a skillful film technically, but it also has a fantastic story with some chilling tension and suspense. I also find it very believable, I think I know some people in my life that have it in them to pull a stunt like this.


8. SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

A lot of art snobs and film academics are probably thumbing their noses at this entry. However, the universal appeal of this film is undeniable. To me, there's a bevy of prison films that I find fascinating. Of all them, this is my favorite. The film's strength is Morgan Freeman, who grabs the role of narrator and polishes it to a performance that I will never forget.


9. GANDHI

I know, a very controversial choice given Casablanca, Taxi Driver, The Bicycle Thief and so many other pieces of genius work have failed to make my list. But, I am a sucker for historical epics and I am also a sucker for superb performances. I believe Ben Kingsley's performance in this film to be one of the greatest ever and since it takes place in a grand, Attenborough epic about the rise of independent India, I adore this film.


10. RAGING BULL

I thought about Crimes and Misdemeanors here or Malcolm X. I thought about Wizard of Oz, Woman of the Year, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, Life of Brian, Maltese Falcon, The Player or even Amadeus. I haven't even mentioned Godfather, which is ridiculous given how strong that film is. Truth is, what makes these lists stupid is not what they include, but what they exclude. I chose Raging Bull again based primarily on the strength of the performance by Robert Deniro and also its unique combination of grit, horror, humor and pathos.



EXTREMELY HONORABLE MENTIONS

On any give day any of these films could have easily made this silly list of mine, here they are in no particular order:



• Sleuth


• Bicycle Thief


• Life of Brian


• Crimes and Misdemeanors


• Wizard of Oz


• Malcolm X


• Godfather I


• Godfather II


• Apocalypse Now


• African Queen


• Woman of the Year


• Bridge over River Kwai


• Amadeus


• Being There


• Rear Window


• Arsenic and Old Lace


• Maltese Falcon


• The Caine Mutiny


• Bull Durham


• Annie Hall


• The Player


• Taxi Driver



There's probably a host of other great films that elude me right now.

Yeah the more I think of it, these lists are pretty silly after all.