Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

I'm not one for politics. It has been my experience that all politicians are self centered rich kids with nothing better to do than make posters that either rip off the slogan of a major company, or make puns on their names such as:

1) Vote for Jason Wright. It's the Wright choice.
2) No.2 pencil-$.32, Eraser-$.25, Voting for Jack Lelaine-priceless.
3) Don't be a Commie, vote for Tommy.
4) Danny "Indiana" Jones for V.P.
5) Vote for Hanson. We'll go dancin'.
6) With me it's always Summer. Vote for Summer Wheatly.
7) The choice is easy, vote for Tim Parcheesi.
8) Count on someone who can count. Emily for Treasurer.

It's just so hard to get elected. Not only is it difficult to make posters, but it's difficult to write campaign speeches:



If you decide to run for office, and somehow you can make it past all these difficulties you will soon find that you have a whole new set of difficulties after you get elected. Suddenly you have to deal with corrupt politicians, wake up every morning on time, and for some reason everyone expects you to know how a bill becomes a law:



In my opinion, it's just not worth it. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is about a politician and all the problems he faced after being put into office.

Jefferson Smith is the leader of a group of boys similar to the Boy Scouts. When a Senator dies Jim Taylor, a rich business man, and all of his corrupt politicians work to replace the Senator with Mr. Smith. Why? They have a plan to pass a bill for personal gain, and need a patsy to not ask any questions. Little do they know Jefferson is an extreme idealist that believes in America. With the help of his street wise secretary Jefferson makes a bill to help troubled boys by setting up a government funded camp. The problem is that the camp's location is right where Jim Taylor wants to build a dam. What follows is politics at it's best as Mr. Taylor tries to undo the damage that Mr. Smith has made to his money making scheme.

This movie is actually quite funny. I was very surprised because I expected it to be boring. Don't misunderstand me: It was not as funny as Dumb and Dumber, but it certainly wasn't as boring as Gone with the Wind. Not only that but I identified, and sympathized, with the characters. I even reached the point of swearing every time Jim Taylor was on the screen. The only drawback to this movie was just how much politics there actually was. Like I said earlier, I don't like politics. Still, it was not enough to make me hate this movie.

The bottom line:
Rating: 4.0
Would I own it? Probably not.
Would I recommend it? Yes, it was entertaining.

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)

There seems to be a never-ending supply of Great Depression movies. I'm no economist but they tell me that the Stock Market crash was kind of a big deal. I, rather than investing my money in stocks, have invested my money in fast food. The amount of money I spend on cheeseburgers every month would make your head spin. I suppose it's a bad investment. Anyway, To Kill
A Mockingbird takes place a few years after the Stock Market crash and is a film about racism, childhood innocence, the loss of that innocence, and the creepy neighbor next door.

Gregory Peck plays Atticus Finch, a mild mannered lawyer who is also a widower with two kids. Gregory Peck, in real life, had three kids and from what I understand they were quite a handful:



Mr. Finch's two kids, Scout and Jem, are the definition of "children living in a simpler time." The storyline (both in the book and the movie) is from Scout's perspective. The story has two main bullet points:

1) The elusive, and supposedly insane, Boo Radley. Like all childhood fears everything that is known about Boo is a "I heard it from a guy, who heard it from another guy" kind of scenario. All that is known for certain through most of the movie is that Boo is living in the basement and only comes out at night.

2) The trial of a black man accused of raping a white woman (you can imagine what a big deal this would be in the 30's). This is where most of the racism is addressed.

It's hard to give a meaningful review of this movie without giving too much of the plot away. I will just simply say that this movie causes many emotions to be felt, is a brilliant sample of Americana, and the ending gave me chills. The movie made me want to read the book again because so much of the book is not included in the film. For example the book gives a lot of detail about Boo's past where the movie does not. This gives the ending of the movie kind of an abrupt unresolved feeling, but to that I say, "If you're worried about being disappointed by the abrupt ending then pick up the freaking book and read it dummy."

The bottom line:
Rating: 4.2
Would I own it? Maybe...I did go out and buy the book right after the movie got over.
Would I recommend it? I already have.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

People have always been afraid of aliens. Why else do you think the Mexican border is so hard to get across? I bet when I said "aliens" you thought I was talking about spacemen didn't you? Well I was...wrap your head around that one. What is it about our society that makes us think that aliens would only come thousands of light-years to Earth to take us over? Are we really that self-centered? Unlike many other alien movies E.T. shows a group of aliens whose only purpose for coming to Earth seems to be to gain knowledge. What's so scary about that? Apparently a lot. I've heard of many people being scared of E.T. when they were little. One such example is skateboarder Ron Deily. In an interview with Thrasher magazine he said, "For three or four years I used to have night terrors about E.T. coming down the hallway, standing in front of my door, and #@&%ing with my little brothers. I used to be on the top bunk. He would walk slowly over to my bunk bed, crawl up, and hover over me while I'm freaking out under the blankets. It was so real to me it was retarded. I would stay up for days. It was the craziest $%#@ ever and it happened in three different houses...I'd be throwing pillows at him and he'd run out of the room screaming."

E.T. is really nothing to be afraid of. The movie is about a society of aliens that come to Earth on a knowledge quest. When it's time to go all the aliens get on board the spaceship except for one little guy. Ever wonder why he got left behind? Well wonder no more:



After being left behind, E.T. (which is just a nickname given to him by some earth kids) finds his way to a little broken home. He does so narrowly escaping the man with the jingle keys, who appears to be some sort of government worker. Elliot, who lives with his brother, sister, and newly divorced mother, finds E.T. and like any kid with a newly found animal tries to keep it for a pet. They form an emotional bond, meaning that they feel each others' emotions, and begin to have adventures together. When the man with the jingle keys finds E.T.'s whereabouts all hell breaks loose, and so E.T. and Elliot will stop at nothing to get E.T. home.

This movie has become such a classic that on the 20th anniversary they re-released E.T. to the silver screen. I knew back then that I would regret it if I didn't go see it on the big screen, but that didn't get me to go. I will forever live in regret knowing that I didn't go see it when I had the chance. Just as well I suppose. For the 20th anniversary they did some alterations, including changing the shotguns in the government agents' hands for walkie-talkies.

This movie is filled with funny moments, great special effects, and a story line that pulls at the heart strings. Steven Spielberg, the director, has said that it is the highlight of his career. Something you may not know: E.T. is loosely based on an imaginary friend that Spielberg had when his parents got a divorce. Pretty cool huh?

The bottom line:
Rating: 4.6
Would I own it? You know it dude.
Would I recommend it? You know it dude...again.

Grapes of Wrath (1940)

There is something seriously wrong with our education system. For some reason students are constantly attacked on all sides by good literature. Why is this a bad thing? Most of the time the literature being shoved down the students' necks is way beyond their level. When I was in High School there were still kids in my classes that had a hard time reading Dr. Suess. How are they supposed to read such greats as Steinbeck or Dickens? Not only that but the content is way beyond their comprehension. Are you going to stand there and tell me that a 9th grader is going to give a crap about racism or the Great Depression? Of course not. All they care about is that Cindy just started wearing bras, or that Jack has facial hair. I'm bringing all this up because it was mandatory for a lot of 9th graders to watch The Grapes of Wrath (they were also required to watch To Kill A Mockingbird which I will talk about later because it too is on AFI's list). Let's be honest, as a 9th grader The Grapes of Wrath would be torture. As a full grown man, however, The Grapes of Wrath was a decent show.

The Grapes of Wrath follows Tom Joad, a man fresh out of prison for homicide. Tom comes home to find that his family has been forced off their land in Oklahoma. They have no choice but to pack up everything they own and go find work in California. It was a lot like the Beverly Hillbillies, except instead of being rich they were poor. Speaking of Beverly Hillbillies here is a lovely little ditty by Weird Al from the movie "UHF."



A road trip of that magnitude was a lot harder then than it is now. Nowadays people make that drive in a day, stopping off at the occasional Maverik to buy a Bahama-Mama. Back then it took weeks, and people died along the way. This movie was no exception. I ain't gonna say who dies, but just know that people die trying to make the trip. I can think of several people I would take with me on a road trip if it meant their death.

This movie was pretty depressing, but that's what it was like back then. On a lighter note, John Carradine is in this movie. Don't know who he is? Well he is none other than the father of David Carradine, star of the T.V. series Kung-fu. David also plays Bill in the movie Kill Bill. Pretty neat, huh? Well I thought so anyway.

The bottom line:
Rating: 3.9
Would I own it? No. I'm happy I watched it, but may never watch it again. I like feel-good movies.
Would I recommend it? I would, but not to 9th graders.

Some Like It Hot (1959)

Prohibition was probably one of the biggest mistakes in American history. I don't know who thought that was going to work but there is no way that Americans will ever give up the sauce. I'm reminded of a wise thing that Tom Green said in the movie "Stealing Harvard": "One way or another those kids were gonna get drunk. Maybe they would have drank mouth wash or sniffed model glue, but you know they wanted beer. Those are good honest kids John. They deliver newspapers, return old pop bottles all week, they deserve to unwind and get drunk. It's all part of the American dream." On the other hand, had prohibition never existed then Some Like It Hot may have never been made.

Some Like it Hot takes place in Chicago during prohibition. Two struggling musicians are in a desperate dash for work after the club they play in gets shut down for alcohol. As with any police raid in that time the police got their information from a squealer. And as with any gangster in that time "Spats", the owner of the club, got his revenge on that squealer. Well it just so happens that our two heroes witnessed this murder and need to get out of town fast. What do they do? They dress up like girls and join a girls band headed to Florida. What follows is constant pandemonium as these manly men try to pass off for women. After all, what's funnier than cross-dressers?

This movie wouldn't be complete without a love story, and so to add a little sizzle to this film the casting directors very wisely brought in Marilyn Monroe for some sex appeal. If you don't know who Marilyn Monroe is then I say to you, "What have you been living under a rock? Well go look her up bookworm." The truth is Marilyn Monroe is one of the sexiest women to ever live, second only to Moms Mabley.
Many men have fantasized about her (Marilyn not Moms). I thought it only fitting that for this entry I would pay tribute to Marilyn and will do so with the song "Candle in the Wind" by Elton John. All of you uncultured swine that think this song was written for Princes Di let me say this, "DON'T BE STUPID!!! THIS SONG WAS WRITTEN FOR MARILYN!!! IT WAS ONLY LATER THAT HE REWROTE THE SONG FOR DIANA!!!" Having said that here is the song:



I love this movie. I have seen it several times, and it gets better every time. I think it is more important in both Marilyn Monroe history and movie history than The Seven Year Itch. Maybe I'm biased because I love the time period that it is set in. Something about gangsters with Tommy Guns makes me wanna jump for joy. Whatever the reason, this is a great film.

The bottom line:
Rating: 4.7
Would I own it? Someday I plan on it.
Would I recommend it? Why would you even ask me that? I said it was good!

Chinatown (1974)

Style is something you either have or you don't. When it comes to style you can either be a trend setter, and trend follower, or the smelly kid who wears plaid shirts with pink sweatpants (For some reason this kid always tried to convince you he was also a famous WCW wrestler). If you're going to be a P.I. in the 1930's you had better be a trend setter, or at the very least a trend follower. Jack Nicholson's character J.J. Gittes oozes class and style. His snappy suits, his awesome hats, and his "I'm bad and I know it" attitude distract from the fact that the title of this movie makes no sense whatsoever.

You would think that a movie called "Chinatown" would take place in Chinatown. This, however, wasn't the case. The only connection that Chinatown had to the actual Chinatown is that J.J. Gittes used to work in Chinatown. There are no flashbacks or in depth stories about Chinatown; just a few comments about it, and then the last 5 minutes of the movie take place there.

Chinatown takes place in 1930's L.A. during a drought. J.J. Gittes is hired to follow the head of the water and power, Hollis Mulwray, by his "wife" Evelyn. I say "wife" because it turns out that Hollis' real wife was not the woman that hired Gittes (I don't consider this a spoiler because not only was this information in the trailer but it happens in the first few minutes of the movie). When Hollis refuses to build a dam that the locals are convinced will solve their drought problems he turns up dead. Piece by piece Gittes becomes more involved with the case until he no longer knows who to trust.

This movie does a great job of keeping the audience guessing. This not only makes the plot twists more shocking, but it gives the feeling that you are solving the case yourself. Like you're playing a big game of Clue. I'm Professor Plum!!!

My only complaint about the movie was the ending. It kept my attention through the whole thing, and then fizzled out at the end. To say that I was mad and disappointed by the ending would be a gross understatement. Still a very decent film.

The bottom line:
Rating: 3.8
Would I own it? Probably not. That's how mad the ending made me.
Would I recommend it? I would with a warning about the impending anger of the watcher.

Here is a trailer for Chinatown. I don't think this is an original trailer, but rather a remake someone made to be "famous" on Youtube. Still it's a good visual aid.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Every family has a Christmas movie that they watch every year. Some people watch Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, some watch The Polar Express, and some watch The Highlander. I don't know what it is about Sean Connery and immortality that is supposed to relate to Christmas but I don't tell people how to live their lives either. I myself am partial to The Christmas Story. Maybe it's because of the brilliant insight into a child's mind, the shared dream of all boys to own a b.b. gun, or maybe it's just because of all the well placed swear words. Either way it's not Christmas for me without that movie. I do remember a time, however, when we would watch It's a Wonderful Life as a family instead. I saw it so much as a child that as I was watching it this time I was shot back to the past. Memories of watching it, along with memories of all the sights and sounds of the movie, shot me way back. It also made me think, "Why did I watch this so much." Answer: It's kind of hard to avoid watching it when it's on every channel non-stop.

We all know that It's a Wonderful Life is about a ambitious young man named George living in a small time that wants nothing more than to get away and see the world. Things don't go as planned and he gets tied up saving the town from business tycoon Mr. Potter time and time again. When things take a turn for the worse George contemplates killing himself but is stopped by his guardian angel Clarence. What follows is an inverted take on A Christmas Carol when Clarence shows George what life would be like had he never lived.

As a child I didn't particularly care for this movie. I think it was because it is black and white. Having no culture, and being completely ignorant, forced me to not like the black and white aspect. Now that I'm older I can appreciate a movie despite it's lack of color (p.s. I watched the version where they added color for this review...don't judge me) and I really enjoyed it this time around. It takes an in depth look at human life, so it has a little something for everyone. This movie is so good at jerking at heart strings it made me cry a little at the end. I would go out on a limb and say that it most certainly belongs on the list of greatest movies. Christmas classic!

The bottom line:
Rating: 4.5
Would I own it? It's one that I want my kids to see if that tells you anything.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely

Here is a funny behind the scenes clip of It's a Wonderful Life made by the guys at howitshouldhaveended.com. They basically make cartoons that show how a movie should have ended. This clip breaks from that form, but is funny nonetheless.

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Wow it's been a crazy couple of weeks. I'm now nearly a month behind schedule on finishing AFI's list. I apologize to all of my loyal fans for being so neglectful...At least I think that I have loyal fans. I promise right here and now that I will spend the next month doing nothing with my spare time but watch movies so that I can get back on schedule.



I've met a lot of crazy people in my lifetime. I've had a mentally disturbed individual chase me down a busy street in subzero weather, steal my umbrella, and then she used my umbrella to attack her neighbor. That's not my only encounter either. I've also had a schizophrenic tell me all about his different personalities. You cannot imagine how awkward it is to hear that kind of information. I learned all about the personality that always wants to hurt him, the personality that smokes, and the personality that believes in horoscopes. Sunset Boulevard begged the question, "How much money would it take to become the live-in boyfriend of a crazy old lady." Given my past experience I would say, "There isn't enough money in the world." but someone else might be of a different opinion. At least the main character of this movie had a different opinion.

First off let me say that before I started this movie the only thing I knew about it was that Andrew Lloyd Weber made a musical of it. I haven't even ever seen the musical I just have the title song on my iPod. Here is some dude singing it for some show...I think the show is South Park...or maybe it's Lost...or CSI. Ok I don't really know. Just watch the dang clip.



Sunset Boulevard is about a struggling writer in Hollywood that stumbles upon a run-down mansion while running from repo-men. He suddenly finds himself ghost writing (not connected with the PBS show Ghostwriter) for a down and out silent film actress who is writing her comeback script. As time goes on he becomes part slave part lover to this whacko lady. Things are going fine until he falls in love with another woman. If you wanna know the rest see the movie.

I didn't hate this movie, but I wasn't crazy about it (no pun intended). As my movie watching progresses all the old movies begin to blur together. It's like reading a "Create your own adventure" book: after a while "it's all the same, only the names have changed." That was a Bon Jovi lyric for those of you that didn't know. I don't have much to say about this movie because it's just like all the other old movies I've seen so far. I'm sure it was amazing for the time but let's face it, it's a little outdated.

The bottom line:
Rating: 3.1
Would I own it? I don't see a reason to
Would I recommend it? If someone asked about it I would tell them about it. That's as far as my commitment goes with this film.